Coming Home For Christmas
by DelenaAddicted
Summary: Damon hasn't been home in Mystic Falls since he left everything behind 3 years ago. Now he's coming home for Christmas. Elena, his former best friend, is not as happy to see him. Why is Elena so mad at him for being back? Maybe there are more feeling involved than she is letting on... D/E and C/S
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 _Damon and Elena sat down by the lake on the ground on a blanket. The sun was high on the sky and the sat under a tree, so that they didn't get the sun in their eyes. "Can you believe we did it?" Damon asked and popped the champagne._

 _Elena laughed. "It's still a little surreal, you know," she replied as she held up the two champagne glasses up for Damon to pour. "Sometimes I never thought we would survive."_

 _Damon laughed just as loudly. "And in a few months, we leave everything behind." Damon clinked Elena's glass. "Cheers."_

" _Cheers." She smiled._

" _And congrats," Damon continued after he had sipped his champagne. "On your scholarship."_

" _Thank you," Elena said and looked Damon in the eye. "And to you," she raised her glass for them to toast. "Finally, following dream and getting the hell out of here and going to New York."_

 _Damon laughed. "Cannot wait!" Damon turned to look seriously at Elena. "We have to make a promise." He held a pause for dramatic effect maybe, he sometimes did that, Elena never found out why, but it didn't matter, she kind of liked it. He took both of their glasses and put them on the grass. Then he took her hand in his. "We. Will. Keep. In. Contact." He shook her hand. "OK?"_

" _Okay," Elena said hesitantly, she had never expected anything else. "Of course!"_

" _Great!" Damon exclaimed. "Even when you become a world-famous writer."_

 _Elena laughed. "Of course, Damon, we're friends for life." She clenched his hand._

 _Damon smiled in return. "Now," he said. "Let's finish the champagne and then we're going to Tyler's party tonight and get wasted." The laughed together and finished their drinks…_

* * *

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it :) I'll post the first chapter tomorrow :D


	2. Chapter 1

So here is the first chapter, hope you will enjoy reading it.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 _Three and a half years later_

"Happy 1st of December everyone!" Caroline bellowed as she walked into the office.

"Thanks, you, too, sweetie!" Elena laughed. "Thank God it's Friday!"

"I know, right? It gives you a really Christmas kind of mood, you know?" Caroline said with one of the biggest smiles Elena had ever seen on her best friend's face.

"Yeah," Elena replied. "You want to get a drink after work?"

"Sure, but I can't stay too long, Stefan's brother is coming today," Caroline said as she got her laptop from her bag.

"Damon is coming?" Feeling as if all the air in her lungs had been sucked out.

"Yeah," Caroline said and looked at her best friend for a minute. "Are you OK?"

Elena took a sip of her coffee. "Yeah, I'm fine." She shrugged as if she couldn't have cared less.

"When did you last speak together?" The blonde asked her friend with a little concern.

"It's been…" Elena calculated in her when it was. "Mmh… a little over three years ago." She pulled up a stack of papers from her drawer and pretended to start working.

"Are you disappointed he didn't tell you he was coming?" Caroline asked carefully. She didn't the subject of Damon Salvatore was a sore subject, but it was always something that made Caroline curious.

Elena shrugged and looked up from her reading. "Why would he? He doesn't even know I live in Mystic Falls." Caroline looked confused. How could he not know? She wondered. But before she could answer, Elena said: "Last time we spoke, I was on the Westcoast in college."

"Oh OK," Caroline answered, and she knew there was no more discussing as their boss had just walked in.

"Morning, ladies," he said as he walked over to their desk. "Getting your gossip out before work?" He smiled.

"Always," answered Caroline in a flirtatious funny voice.

Elena laughed at her blonde friend. "Here, you go, Tyler," said Elena as she handed him the Americano she had bought for him before she came in to the office.

"Thanks, Elena," he said and winked at her. She smiled back at him.

When he had walked into his office, Caroline leaned over the table and whispered. "Why don't you go out with him?" She asked.

"What? Why?" Elena asked a bit confused.

"Well, he flirts with you at work," Caroline said and pointed her head towards the door he had just closed. " _And_ … I think he likes you."

Elena turned around to look at the path where Tyler had just walked. "Mmh… No he doesn't. We're just messing around." Elena smiled, then she said in a regular voice. "Now, lets work." And they did.

XXXXX

"What do you want?" Elena asked as her and Caroline had found a table to sit at inside the Mystic Grill.

"Uhm, just a beer," Caroline said as she sat down. "I have to get home in an hour to prepare dinner for the family."

"Great," Elena said and took of her leather jacket and walked up to the bar.

"Hi, Elena," said a familiar voice from behind the bar.

"Hi, Matt," Elena said and smiled.

"Happy 1st of December," Matt said with a big smile. Elena give him a tired smile in respond. "Long day?"

"I'm just really glad it's Friday," Elena said and gave Matt a small smile. "Well, can I get two beers?"

"Sure," Matt replied. He got them from the fridge behind the bar. "Here."

"Can you write it on my tap?" Elena asked with a smile.

"You got it," he replied and returned her smile.

"So, any plans this weekend?" Caroline asked as Elena sat down.

"I'm going home to be parents' tomorrow night for dinner, and then I'll look at some work for Tyler," Elena said and smiled.

"No wonder you're Tyler's favourite," Caroline said and took a sip of her beer.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Elena asked with a little edge in her voice.

"I mean you're always working, and well maybe you should go out sometime instead," Caroline said carefully.

"I like my job, Caroline, and I'm doing this for my family and my future," Elena explained tired because she had told Caroline this many times. "It's great that you have a husband who takes care of you, but I have no one and I need money, not just for me, but for my parents. They need me. They depend on me." She took a huge sip of her beer.

"I'm sorry, Elena," Caroline said and took her best friend's hand. "I sometimes forget that you love it there." Caroline sighed and leaned back in her chair. "The only reason I work there is because of my dad."

"Thanks," Elena said and smiled.

"You want to come for dinner tonight?" Caroline asked.

Elena laughed. "Erh, no thanks," Elena said and shook her head.

"Oh, right," Caroline said and remembered that maybe it wasn't a good idea. She took a quick look at her watch. "Well, I have to get going. Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Elena said reassuringly. "I'm just not in the mood to see Damon right know. How long is he going to stay anyway?"

"A month," Caroline said and took her jacket on. Elena felt completely taken aback. She could maybe handle a weekend, a week tops, but a month! But before she could answer Caroline she had disappeared.

Elena sighed and finished her beer and went up to the bar to get some company from Matt.

"So," said Matt. "What's going on?"

Elena sat down on a stool. "Just a really crappy day."

"Here," Matt said and poured Elena a glass of scotch.

Elena took a sip. She hadn't had a scotch for many years. Last time had been with Damon the day they both left Mystic Falls. He had been the one who had taught her to drink it. "Thanks," Elena said and took a sip. The liquid warm her body all the way from her mouth to the pit if her stomach. She laughed. She had forgotten how strong that stuff was. "Thanks. Just put it on my tab?"

"It's on the house," Matt said and smiled. "Just don't tell my boss." He laughed. "Want to talk about it?"

She didn't. Not with him anyway, but she need to get this off her chest. "Do you remember Damon?"

"Oh yeah," Matt said and pulled up a chair and a drink for himself behind the bar. "You guys were inseparable. You know, there were a whole lot of us had a bet about when you guys would get together." He laughed.

Elena laughed in response. This wasn't the first she had heard about this bet. When she got back home and had told people that she and Damon wasn't in contact anymore, she had some of her old schoolmates tell her about it. "Yeah, I know. Anyway, I haven't spoken to him and I was fine with never see him again, but know he is here in Mystic Falls… for a month…" She took her glass and emptied it.

"Wow, Elena," Matt started took a sip of his own drink. "I'm sorry. I don't even know what to say. Will you be OK?"

Elena thought for a minute. "Yeah…" She paused. "As long as I don't see him and don't have to talk to him." She looked at her watch. "I have to go. Thanks for listening. Have a good weekend."

"Sure. You too, Elena," Matt said and cleaned up their glasses. "And if you ever want to talk. You know where to find me." They smiled at each other and then she left, and the usual Friday night costumers was coming in now.

* * *

Thanks for reading :)


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Elena woke up the next day with the sun in her eyes. On the other side of the bed lay papers from work she had done the night before. She looked at her alarm clock, it was 11:20. She could already hear people down on the square. December was the busiest time in Mystic Falls. Elena's apartment was just next to city hall. The only time that she actually liked the noise from the square was at Christmas. They just sounded more cheerful than usual, maybe it was her imagination, because she loved Christmas.

She got out of bed and went over to her dresser. She pulled out a wool dress and put on. She found matching shoes and jacket. She went down to the square. It was filled with stalls. Some with cute Christmas ornaments, drinks, food and clothes. She went over to buy a cup of coffee. As she waited in line, she heard her name being said behind her. She turned around. "Stefan!" Elena said with a big smile.

"Hi, how are you?" Stefan asked with an equally big smile. They hugged.

"Fine," Elena said and nodded politely. Stefan nodded in return trying to read her. "So, you talked to Caroline?"

"Yeah, I didn't hide that very well, did i?" He asked carefully.

"Well, I guess it is to be expected. She is your wife after all," Elena said with a little smile. Stefan returned the smile. "Are they here too?" Elena looked around.

"No. Damon had some stuff to do, and Caroline had to take care of some stuff for her father," Stefan said. Elena nodded. She couldn't think of anything to say. "Relax, Elena," he said and put a hand on her shoulder. "He just came home for Christmas. Before you know it, he'll be back home."

"That's just it…" Elena started. "I don't want to see him, but on the other hand I don't want Christmas to be over."

"Maybe you should just get it over with?" Stefan suggested.

"Mmh… I don't know," Elena said hesitating. "I think it'll be better if we just keep it separate."

"OK, it's up to you," he said. "Are you coming to the Founder's Christmas party?"

"I thought about, but im not sure yet," she answered him. "Are you guys coming?"

"Well, Caroline has been talking about clothes for that party since October, so I don't think its an option for me not to come," he said laughing.

Elena laughed too. "Yeah, I could imagine." Caroline could get really passionate about these theme parties. It made Elena think about the time when they were in high school and all of their decade dances.

"You should come," he said. "It would make Caroline really happy, and it would give you something else to think about. And Damon won't come. He always hated those theme parties, you know."

When Stefan had said his name, her heart had clenched. Maybe she should talk to him. "Ok then. It's next weekend, right?"

"Yeah," he said and looked at his watch. "Anyway, I have to get going. Caroline is waiting for me. See ya." Elena waved at him as he walked away.

She could see that the Grill had opened, and she decided to go and see if Matt was in. he probably was. He was always working, a bit like herself actually. As soon as she had walked through the door she stopped. She could see a familiar leather jacket, the owner with his back towards her. It could just be a coincidence. The store had probably sold more than that one jacket, but then he turned around. His beautiful, blue eyes staring into hers. Neither of them said anything. It felt like an eternity, she stood there. Then just as fast as she had stopped, she disappeared out the door again.

She hurried down the street. She walked right passed the square and her apartment. Even though she was outside in the cold, clean air, she felt as if she couldn't breathe. And suddenly she felt the tears streaming down her cheeks. She stopped when she had gotten to the edge of town. Why was she feeling like this? It didn't make any sense. And why was she the one who was running? This was her town, basically. He hadn't been home for three years. He should be the one running! She sat down on a bench in the edge of a forest to just breathe for a while.

XXXXX

Earlier that same morning, Damon woke up in his old bedroom. The same room that he hadn't set foot in for about three and a half years. But the bed felt just as good as it always had. It felt like home. He laid in bed and rolled around for a few minutes feeling nostalgic. He felt as if he was 15 again. Now he just half expected her mom to come barging into his room and say that breakfast was ready. Then it knocked on the door, and he woke from his trance.

"Yeah?" He said as he got out of bed.

Stefan walked through the door. "Hey, I didn't mean to wake you," he said quietly.

"I was already awake, brother," Damon answered.

"Oh, that's good," Stefan said. He turned on the lights. "Anyway, there's breakfast down in the kitchen. Caroline and I are going into town. So, I'll see you later?"

"Sure. Thanks," Damon said and started to find clothes from his bag.

"Why don't you unpack," Stefan suggested. "You can put them in your old dresser." Stefan pointed at the dresser by the window, where it had stood for 20 years. "I mean if you're staying until January, maybe it would be nice not to live in a bag?"

"I will, thanks," Damon answered his brother. "So, I'll see you later. Have fun." When Stefan left the room, Damon got dressed and went down to the kitchen. He laughed, when he saw that Caroline had made him a plate with scrambled eggs, bacon and some bread. On the side of the plate, was a little note, that said: "Good morning, brother in law. Have a nice meal. There's coffee in the pot. Love, Caroline. "

It had been many years since he had been home in Mystic Falls, and he had almost forgotten how perky and happy Caroline could be. He ate the food and drank some coffee. Afterwards, he took a tour in the house. It was different. There was other furniture, definitely Caroline's work, he thought. It was nice, but it still had a lot of the original things. He opened the door in the den and breathed in the cool air. The sun was shining. It was perfect weather, and he decided to go for a walk around the grounds.

He got his jacket and walked out the front door and looked all the doors after him. He walked to all the old places he used to love. All the places where he had great memories. He walked for about an hour and before he knew it he had walked into the Grill. He had had so many great memories here. Then he saw behind the bar, stood Matt, an old school mate and at the front of the bar another old friend, Tyler.

"Damon?" Tyler said.

"Hey," Damon said and smiled at his old friend.

"Hey, man," Matt said. "How are you?"

"Good," Damon replied as he walked up to the bar and greeted his old friends. "Can I get a scotch?"

"Here," Matt said and poured Damon his favourite bourbon.

"Thanks," Damon said and took a sip.

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave," Tyler said as he looked at his watch. "I have to go see my mom. It was great seeing you, Damon. We should find a day and get together."

"Sure," Damon said even though he didn't mean it. The only thing they had in common was an ex-girlfriend, Vicky Donnovan.

"I didn't know you were coming into town," said Matt a bit confused.

"Yeah, it was kind of a last-minute decision," Damon replied and sat down on a stool.

"Mmh, OK," Matt simply replied. "So, have you talked to anyone else from school?"

"No," Damon replied. "But there aren't that many from school left, is there?"

"Well," Matt answered thinking. "There is a lot coming home to celebrate Christmas with their families, but they don't come until later in December. Then there is Caroline and you brother, as you know, Tyler…" As he pointed at the door. "And El-" He was interrupted as the door flew open by Elena. Damon turned around to see what Matt was looking at. And there she was, Elena. Her beautiful, brown eyes staring into his. He was completely mesmerized. She was as beautiful as ever. Then, just like that, she turned around and stormed back out the door. He didn't follow her. His brain first had to accept what it had just seen. She had looked just as shocked to see her as she looked to see him.

When his brain unfroze he ran out of the bar to look after the best friend he hadn't heard from in just about three years. When he got out to the street he looked both ways, but she was nowhere to be found. "Dammit!" He exclaimed loudly.


	4. Chapter 3

Note that I changed the rating to M. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

"How could you not tell me?" Damon shouted at his brother. "Didn't you think I would want to know?" He kicked at a chair which flew across the living room.

"Calm down, Damon," Caroline said in a steady calm voice even though she was a little terrified of him right now.

"No!" Damon said to Caroline in a loud voice. "You had no right not to tell me!" He took a few steps towards Caroline, who immediately took just as many steps backwards.

"Hey!" Stefan shouted. "Stop talking to my wife like that." HE walked over to Caroline and took her hand. "You need to calm down." He put up a hand to gesture him to be calm.

"Calm down?" Damon said still in his loud voice. "She was my best friend for more than a decade! I had a right to know!" He walked over to the fireplace and stared into it.

"Honestly," said Stefan in a firm voice. "I was under the impression that you guys hadn't talked in three years." He paused and waited for his older brother to react and when he didn't, Stefan continued: "So, excuse me for thinking that you guys weren't interested in each other anymore."

Damon turned around looking confused. "What?" No one said anything for a long time. "We're friends, OK?" He walked across the living room. "I'm going for a walk." He walked out of the room and after a few seconds they heard the front door slam.

Stefan turned to his wife, who was still holding his hand. "You OK?" He asked.

"Yeah," she said with a reassuringly smile. "Just don't like it when he gets like this."

"Yeah, me too," Stefan said and pulled her into a hug.

"It's funny, though," Caroline said into her husband's shoulder. He leaned back a little so that he could look her in the eyes.

"What is?" He asked.

"Even after all this time, they still can't admit that they have feelings for each other," she said and laughed.

He laughed with her. "Yeah." Then he put his hand behind her neck and pulled her into a soft but tender kiss. "I love you," he said when their lips parted.

"I love you, too," she replied a little breathless. "If they saw each other today, maybe I should call Elena, to see if she OK."

"Sure," Stefan said in a low voice, but he didn't let her go. He kissed her again on the mouth but this time a bit more passionately.

"OK," Caroline said when he pulled back. "Why do I have the feeling you're not thinking the same?"

"What do you mean?" He said and started kissing her along her neck. She was about to say something, but then she could feel his tongue on her neck and what came out instead of words, was a moan.

"We can't!" Caroline said breathless.

"Why not?" He said as he pulled a sweater off. Then kissed her more passionately. "It's been awhile since we last had sex." He started unbuttoning her shirt.

She laughed. "No, it hasn't. We had sex the other night," she said as a matter of factly.

"Well," he said and her shirt slid from her arms to the floor. She now only had her bra on her upper body. "It has been a long time since we've done it spontaneously, like this." He kissed her on the neck again and she leaned her head back and moaned.

She pulled her head back up and looked her husband in the eyes. "Yeah, because we're married now." She took his head between her hands to show that she was serious. "Besides we have huge windows right here." She pointed behind her.

He gave her a just as serious look. "We have this entire mansion to ourselves, and we can only have sex in our bed? That doesn't make any sense." He put his hand under her skirt and grabbed her between the legs and moved his hand back and forth. Even though she was wearing panties and pantyhose, she could feel his hand intensely. "Did I win?" He asked with a bit of triumph in his voice, because he already knew the answer.

"Yes!" She said loudly and pulled his t-shirt over his head. He quickly unhooked her bra and started rubbing her nipple between two fingers. She jumped up on his hips and he grabbed her ass with the other hand. She started kissing him passionately. He leaned down so that they lay on the rug in the middle of the room. He stopped was he was doing for a minute to looked at his hot semi-naked wife.

"I really love you!" He said. She answered him with a kiss. He unzipped her skirt as they kissed. He pulled down the skirt along with her pantyhose and panties. Now she lay completely naked in front of him. He pulled back and stood up.

"What's wrong?" She asked concerned.

"Nothing," he said and unzipped his pants. "Just taking in the sight of my gorgeous wife." He winked. He pulled down his pants then his boxers. Now he stood completely naked in front of him with a full erection.

"You are gorgeous, too," she said flirtatiously. He knelt down in front of her and separated her legs a little more. He bent over her and kissed her. His thump moved to her klit and he moved it intensely over it, and she started breathing heavily. He kissed her down her neck, which made her moan. He moved even more down to one of her nipples and started sucking. "Oh!" She said loudly with her eyes closed. His thump was still on her klit, then he slowly removed it and she opened her eyes to look at him. She gave him a dirty smile.

"What?" He asked as if something was wrong. She was close to coming and she knew it. She put her leg around him and flipped them. Now Caroline was on top. She sat on his stomach. She bent down to kiss him softly and then she sat back up. She grabbed his erection gently and started moving her hand up and down. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. This made Caroline smile, watching her husband squirm under her. After a few minutes of this he grabbed her hips and she stopped and let go of his firm erection, because she knew what that meant. He was close to coming, too. He pushed her down his body. She lifted herself up a bit and then she sat down onto his erection. She could feel him inside of her. She started moving up and down, and Stefan started moving too. The both panted and moaned. First, Stefan came into her and few seconds later she joined him in an orgasm. When they had ridden both their orgasms out she lay down next to him. He kissed her on the neck and they both fell asleep.

About an hour later, Damon walked right into the living room to see his brother and sister in law both laying naked in the middle of the room. "Oh, my God!" He exclaimed.

Stefan and Caroline both jumped awake. Caroline shrieked. Stefan fast grabbed the blanket from the couch to cover his wife and grabbed himself a pillow to cover himself. Caroline put the blanket around her and hurried out of the room, not being able to look Damon in the eye.

"Don't you guys have a bedroom?" Damon asked as he poured himself a glass of bourbon.

"OK," Stefan started. "Obviously, you weren't supposed to see that."

"That's a pretty hot wife you got there," Damon said and looked the way Caroline had disappeared.

"Don't you dare!" Stefan said threateningly.

"Oh, relax," Damon smirked. "Just teasing you." He laughed.

"Don't tease Caroline," Stefan said as he pulled his pants back on. "She''ll never have sex with me again."

"Don't worry, brother," Damon said and put his hand on Stefan's shoulder. "You can count on me." He laughed a bit more as he left the room.

* * *

Thanks for reading :)


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Neither Damon nor Elena had tried to contact each other. Damon had been busy with teasing his brother when Caroline wasn't around and Elena had buried herself in work, so that she didn't have to deal with her feelings.

"Morning, Elena," Tyler said with a smile as he walked into the office to see only one of his assistants sitting at the table outside his office.

"Good morning, Tyler," she got up from her desk. She got a to-go coffee cup from the table. "The usual."

"Thank you," he said and walked towards his office. "Where is Caroline?" He asked as he walked into his office.

"Ehm… I don't know," Elena replied honestly. She hadn't spoken to her all weekend. She had just kept to herself. Elena walked into Tyler's office with some papers. "I had time to look at two manuscripts in the weekend. Here," she said and put them on his desk.

"Wow, ambitious," Tyler said impressed.

"Yeah, well, I had some time to kill," Elena said a little embarrassed. Then she walked out to her own desk.

About an hour later Caroline walked through the door. Elena was about to asked where the hell she had been, but Caroline held up a hand. "Don't ask." Caroline walked into Tyler's office. "Hi, I'm so sorry I'm late."

Elena heard Tyler say: "Close the door, please." And then the door shut. After twenty minutes Caroline came out looking rather small. She had probably gotten one of Tyler's lectures. Elena had never tried it herself, but she had heard they were terrible, and she could imagine Caroline had gotten some crab about how she was only still employed because her father owned the company. After a few hours Tyler came out of his office. "Elena, can I talk to you?"

"Sure," she said and walked into his office with him.

"This is really good work," he said and sat down in his chair behind the desk. "I was thinking we could talk about this over a drink later?"

Was he asking her out? She was completely paralyzed. She simply didn't know what to answer, but she had to. She couldn't say no, could she? But before she could answer the door to his office burst open. Thank God, she thought, until she saw who it was.

"Damon," Tyler said.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," Damon said. The entire time his eyes were on Elena's. she was frozen. She couldn't run this time. Damon looked away. "Thought you were going to take a half day with Matt and I. Like we talked about yesterday?"

"Right," Tyler said a little flustered. "Well…" He thought for a minute about what he was in the middle of. "Keep up the good work, Elena." Hopefully, he had forgotten that he had just asked her out. The two guys walked out of the office and Elena returned to her desk.

As soon as Tyler was out the door, Caroline stopped working. "Are you coming next weekend?"

"What do you mean?" Elena asked confused.

"To the party?" Caroline said enthusiastically.

"I don't know, I mean I don't even have a dress," Elena said as she organised her desk. "And it's not exactly the month to buy a new, expensive dress."

"You can have one of mine," Caroline said with a big smile. "I bought two. Don't judge me," she said looking a bit guilty. "It's red and totally you."

Elena knew that there was no way out of it. "Fine!"

"Yay!" Shrieked Caroline. "It'll be so much fun!" Elena smiled. It made her happy to see her friend so happy. "I forgot to ask, how are you? You know, with Damon" Caroline asked.

"I'm fine," Elena said quietly. "Thought I could avoid him for as long as he was here, but…" She didn't say anything else.

"Maybe you should just talk to him," Caroline suggested. "You know, in the spirit of Christmas? Don't they say that it is a time of forgiving?" Caroline smiled at Elena.

"Maybe…"

After an hour of gossip, Elena and Caroline decided that it would be OK for them to go home.

XXXXX

Later that day, Stefan walked into the Grill after he had received a weird text from his older brother: " _Hey bro, come to the Grill and have a drink with your faves."_ Stefan found this weird because Damon had never invited him to join him for a drink.

"Heeyyyy," Damon said clearly drunk. "My favourite brother." Damon hugged his younger brother.

Stefan pushed a bit away because Damon smelled so bad of alcohol. "What did you give him?" Stefan asked Matt and Tyler.

They both laughed. "Nothing other than the usual," Matt said and kept laughing at how drunk Damon was.

"We just started talking about old times and-," Tyler said eyed Damon. "Elena." There was a pause. "Then he just started pouring it down like water."

"OK," Stefan said and thought for a minute that his brother might not be as OK as he originally thought. "I'm going to take him home."

"Sure," said Matt. He and Tyler went back to shooting pool.

"Come on," Stefan said and pushed Damon towards the door. "Let's go home." Damon said nothing. He just let his brother push him out the door and into his car. They sat in complete silence in the car. "What is going on with you, Damon?"

"I don't know," Damon sighed.

"Is it Elena?" Stefan asked and looked quickly over at his brother. Damon didn't answer. He just looked out the window. Stefan took his silence as a yes. "OK." Stefan pulled up into the driveway of the Salvatore house. Damon walked out the car and into the house. Stefan sat in the car for a minute. "Well, talk tomorrow then," Stefan said, mostly to himself.

Damon walked right into his room and went straight to bed. He was asleep within minutes.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Caroline was in the kitchen when Damon came down the next morning. "Oh hi," he said when he noticed her. He squinted his eyes.

"Hungover?" Caroline asked with a smirk on her face.

"Aren't you a little over dressed, blondie?" He snapped back. Hitting Caroline where it hurt. She looked away for a minute and assembled some courage to open her mouth again.

"Well, at least I'm with the guy that I love." She paused and gazed at Damon. "And I'm not afraid to show it." She walked out the kitchen.

"Hey," Damon yelled after her. She came back into the kitchen and looked at him waiting for him to say something. "What do you mean?"

Caroline gave a little chuckled. "Are you serious?" She asked and walked over to him. He shook his head in response. He had no idea what she was talking about. "Do you seriously mean that after _all_ these years, you still can't admit it to yourself?"

"What!?" Damon yelled at her frustrated.

"You love her," Caroline said simply. Damon said nothing. He just stared at her. "You should talk to her." She turned around and walked out the door.

XXXXX

"Have you talked to Damon?" Caroline asked Elena after they had ordered. They were one town over from Mystic Falls. They were talking a break from buying Christmas gifts.

"No," Elena replied and took a sip of her water.

"I thought you said that you would!" Caroline said.

"Relax," Elena said in a calm voice. "I haven't seen him in the last few days."

"You guys need to talk!" Caroline pushed. Elena gave her friend a confused look. "I just think," she said with a bit more calm in her voice. "That it would be good for both of you. You know?"

"Fine," Elena said still a little confused as to why Caroline pushed the subject so hard. "I'll talk to him when I see him."

"Or you could just get his number," Caroline said and started writing on her napkin.

"What are you doing? Why is it so urgent?" Elena asked.

"I just think it would be really good for the both of you to talk," Caroline said and gave her friend a big smile.

"OK," Elena said at last even though she didn't mean it.

After a few minutes of silence, Caroline asked: "Why did you guys stop talking?"

Elena took a deep breath and thought about what to answer. "I think we both just got busy with our lives, and we suddenly the days just went by and then too much time had passed and we judt stopped." Elena looked Caroline right in the eyes.

"I don't believe that," Caroline just said.

"What?" Elena said as if she didn't understand what the blonde across from had just said.

"Even when we were all in high school you guys called each other on the weekends because you had so much to tell each other, so no I don't buy it. You wouldn't just stop talking." Caroline crossed her arms and looked at Elena expecting another answer.

"What do you want me to day?" Elena said exhausted.

"The truth," Caroline said frustrated. She took Elena's hand across the table. "Sweetie, I'm just trying to help."

"Fine." Elena sat for a minute trying to get the courage to admit to her best friend, what she hadn't even admitted to herself. "I was petty. OK? And maybe a little jealous." No one said anything for minutes. "It was a little after I had started school, Damon started talking about this girl… Katherine, I think her name was." She took a breath as she thought her way back to three years ago. "Anyway, it was all he would talk about. First, how good a friend she was and then suddenly they were dating and I guess I thought she more important than me and I then I just stopped calling." She paused and the waiter came with their food. "Thanks," Elena said to the waiter.

"So, what happened next?" Caroline asked with a few fries in her mouth.

"Well, he called, but I never answered," Elena said quietly as she looked at her food. "I don't know why I never called him back."

"I have a theory," Caroline said when Elena hadn't said anything for what felt like forever. "But maybe it's not my place to say."

Elena knew she didn't want to hear it, but she was curious. "What?" Carolie said nothing, just took a bite of her burger. "You can tell me."

Caroline swallowed. "You sure you want to hear it?"

"Yes," Elena said and started on her own burger.

"OK," Caroline started. "I guys were friends for a _long_ time. Maybe I bit more than friends?" She said carefully. Before Elena could interject, she continued: "Neither of you dated anyone and you were the most important person in each other's lives. It's OK to be jealous." Elena said nothing, and they didn't discuss Damon any further. They finished their shopping and Caroline dropped Elena off at her apartment.

When she got inside, she threw her jacket over a chair by the dining table. She sat down in the couch and found her phone from her pocket and she found the number Caroline had given her. She dialled the number into her phone, but she sat staring at the phone for several minutes before hitting the green button. The phone was ringing and Elena could feel her heart beating faster and faster. She got up from the couch and paced back and forth in her living room. She seconds when the phone was ringing felt like hours until…

"Hello," Damon said at the other end of the line.

"Damon?" Elena said quickly. "It's Elena."

"Elena?" Damon said a little confused.

"Hi," she said and took a little pause. "I'm sorry to call. Caroline gave me your number. Hope that's OK?" She didn't wait for an answer. "I was wondering if you wanted to meet? To talk?"

"I would love to," he said with a happy voice. "Do you have time tomorrow."

"Yeah, we can meet after work," Elena said. She sat down on her couch again and relaxed a bit. "Maybe we could get a cup of coffee down at the Christmas market on the square."

"Sounds great," Damon said. "See you then."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Elena had felt anxious the whole day when she was at work. She just kept looking at her watch. It wouldn't be long now. Just 10 minutes.

"Are you OK?" Caroline asked giving her friend a weird look. "You been uneasy all day."

"I'm fine," Elena said shortly. "Just-," but before she could answer.

"I brought your dress," Caroline said and bent down beside the desk.

"Oh right," Elena said distracted. "For the party tomorrow."

Caroline got out a red strapless dress from her bag. "Here."

"Wow," she said as she admired the dress. "It's beautiful. Thanks, Caroline."

"It will go great with your black boots," Caroline suggested.

"Are you helping the Lockwood's with organising the party?" Elena asked.

"Off course, I am," Caroline replied. "Otherwise, nothing would get done properly, and Mrs. Lockwood isn't so young anymore."

Elena laughed. "Well, then I'm sure that it will be amazing," she said to her friend.

Caroline looked at the clock. "Finally, 4 o'clock." Caroline cleaned out her desk. "I'm heading over there now. I'll see you tomorrow," Caroline said and within seconds she was out the door.

Elena stayed for a few minutes and checked herself out in her pocket mirror. She applied a new layer of mascara and some new lip gloss. She left the office and she walked out to the sidewalk. She walked down the street until she could see the square and she crossed the street. She saw Damon sitting on a bench. He hadn't seen her yet. Her heart started beating a little faster. "What would she even say to him? She felt panic rising within her. She approached him. "Hi," she said.

He got up from the bench. He had to coffee sups in his hands. "Hi, Elena," he replied. She smiled at him. "Here."

She took the cup from him and took a sip. "Mmh… Pumpkin latte." She smiled.

"I assume it's still your Christmas drink," he said with a smile. "Shall we sit?" He asked and gestured the bench behind him.

"Yeah," she said with a smile. She started to relax a little. He made it so easy. It was almost like old days.

"It's been a long time," he said and looked straight ahead.

"Yeah," she simply said. She didn't know what else to say.

"Off course, I wouldn't have been if you had picked up the phone when I called." He took a sip of coffee.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Elena said a little embarrassed. "But you know, I did try to call you." She over at him.

"What?" He asked looking a little confused.

"Yeah, I called to apologize for not picking up when you called, but your girlfriend, Katherine, told me that you wanted to leave you alone," she said a little annoyed. He just laughed at her. "Why are you laughing?" She felt the anger rise up in her.

"Katherine was a little crazy," he said and kept laughing. "She was really controlling and a bit crazy." He took a short pause. "Why didn't you ever try to contact me again?" He asked in a calm voice.

Elena got up and stood in front of him. "Why didn't you ever? I've been kind of busy," she said harshly.

"Yeah, I can see that," he said with a raised voice and also got up from the bench. "You've been really busy with moving back home and giving up your scholarship," he said with irony in his voice. "You just threw your dream away. For what? Being here? I thought you wanted to be a writer."

"No, Damon," Elena said with a raised voice. "No! You don't get come here and judge me! We haven't talked in two years. You don't know me and what I've been through!" She turned on her heel and walked away. She walked across the square, passed the market with a stern expression giving nothing away. It wasn't until she was in her apartment and had locked the door behind her. She fell to the floor and let the tears fall down her cheek.

He had said the thing that she had never wanted to admit, but she had given up her dreams, only she didn't see it that way. She had just put them on hold to help her family. When her mother had called her about two years ago and told her that her father was in the hospital, she had dropped everything and she came home. Her father had been working part-time ever since, but it wasn't enough to keep paying for the house. She got a cheap apartment for herself and thankfully, Caroline's father had hired her to work at his firm, "Forbes' Publishing". She now payed on the house to help her mother and father.

She wiped her tears and got up. She walked over to the fridge and thought about what to get for dinner. Then her phone rang. "Hello?" She said.

"Hi, honey," Elena heard her mother say on the other end.

"Hi, mom," Elena said and smiled. She closed the fridge and sat on the couch. "How are you doing?"

"We're fine," her mother said with her usual answer to that question. "What are you doing?"

"I was just figuring out what to do for dinner," Elena said lazily.

"Great!" Her mother said enthusiastically. "You should come over! Your dad is making chicken."

"Sure," Elena replied.

"You want me to come and get you?" Her mother asked.

"No, it's fine, I can walk," Elena said and got up from the couch. "I'll see you in a bit." She put on her coat and boots. She walked over to the street where she had walked so many times on her way to and from school. She walked up to her childhood home. She walked in the front door.

"Hi!" She yelled as she closed the door. Her mother came out to greet her from the living room.

"Hi," her mother said and hugged Elena. Elena took off her coat and they both walked into the kitchen.

"Hi, pumpkin," her father said. He came over to hug her. "How are you?"

"Good," Elena said to her father as she smiled to him.

"Well, diner is almost ready," Grayson said and walked back to the stove. "If you just go and sit down. I'll be there in a minute."

Elena and her mother walked into the dining room and sat down at the table across from each other. A few minutes later, her father came in with the food. During dinner, they talked about all kinds of things. Elena always felt so at home here. When she was with her mom and dad, she felt like a little girl and she felt really safe, like she had no worries and responsibilities.

"This was amazing, dad," Elena said when they had finished the meal. He just smiled at her daughter.

"We actually need to talk to you about something, Elena," her father said and took her hand.

"Is everything OK?" She asked worried.

Her father didn't reply. He just looked over at Miranda. "It's your dad," Miranda said and first she looked at Elena then over at her husband, whose hand she grabbed. "His disease." Elena looked really worried, and she didn't know what to say. "He's going to be fine," Miranda said when she saw the worried look on her face. They all sat in silence for a few minutes. "His doctor is forcing your dad to retire."

"What does that mean?" She asked looking from one parent to the other. "Is that bad? I mean, it's good that you can take a break, relax and take care of your health."

"Actually, now that your dad isn't working, we can't afford the house," Miranda said and waited for Elena to say something. "We still owe a lot of money, and we can't afford it. We're selling it in January."

"No," Elena said panicked. "I'll pay more. You can't lose the house."

"We can't ask you to do that," Grayson said and looked his daughter in the eye. "You have given up so much, and we- I can't let you do this." No one said anything after this. The rest of the evening was pretty quiet.

"Well, I should get going," Elena said when it was close to 10 p.m.

"One more thing," her mother said. "We'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell Jeremy."

"What?" Elena asked in disbelieve. "He has a right to know that ypur selling our childhood home."

"We'll tell him," Grayson said. "We just don't want to ruin Christmas for him. He's coming home next Friday. We'll tell him after New Year."

"Fine," Elena said hopelessly. She got her things and she left.

Elena couldn't believe what she had just heard. They wanted her to lie to her brother, and he would blame her for not saying it sooner. How was she supposed to deal with all of this especially right before Christmas? When she got home she went straight to bed and went to sleep. She couldn't deal with this anymore today.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It had been a week since Damon had arrived home in Mystic Falls. He had had so much hope for his holiday here. He would hang out with old schoolmates and catch up. It would be just like old times, and when he had seen Elena, he was sure they could put their separation behind them, and they would talk again, like no time had passed. But this was not the case. Nothing was the same. Caroline and Stefan were married and being cute together. He couldn't explain it, but something felt odd about that.

"Hi," Stefan said when he saw his big brother sitting in the living room staring out the window from the couch.

Damon turned towards Stefan. "Hey."

"Are you OK?" Stefan asked and sat on the chair across from Damon.

Damon shook his head. "I don't know." He took a deep breath. "I met with Elena yesterday, and she just kind of freaked out on me."

"What did you do?" Stefan accused his brother.

"Me? Nothing!" Damon said in a loud voice. "I just asked her why she was in Mystic Falls and then-."

"How?" Stefan interrupted.

"How what?" Damon asked confused.

"How did you ask? Because you can be a bit judgemental in your tone when you talk to others," Stefan simply said.

"I might've…" Damon's voice trailed off. Had he been too harsh. He was only making a joke about it. Why would she get so mad over so little, or was there more to the story that he just didn't know about? Why did she come back to Mystic Falls? "Why is she back?"

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked ignorant.

"Don't play dump, Stefan!" Damon said and leaned forwards on the couch. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Your wife is her best friend." Damon gave his little brother a look, he had given him many times when they were younger. The look that said: _I'll get the truth out of you, and you can't resist the stare._

"I can't tell you," Stefan said and put his hands up in defeat. Damon was about to abject. "It's not my place, you know that." She paused and they stared at each other for a moment. "She has been through a lot since you talked last, and so has her family. That's all I'm going to say." He grabbed a book which lay on the table beside him. He started flipping through it, hoping Damon would stop asking him about Elena.

Damon didn't say anything. He knew he wouldn't get any more information from his brother. Why had she left everything to come back home to work in this small town? The only way to find out would be to find her and ask her. If she would talk to him. Maybe he should make her. "Thanks," he said to his brother and got up from the couch and walked out.

XXXXX

Elena arrived at The Lockwood's property a little after 8. The garden and driveway was filled with lights. Even though it was completely dark Elena could see the whole garden as clearly as the light of day. Inside was even more beautiful. There were red and white candles almost everywhere. In the living room, there was a huge Christmas tree next to the staircase. I was filled with red, green and gold Christmas balls. If Elena hadn't felt the Christmas spirit before she certainly did now. She felt the joy warm up her body. There was a familiar buzzing in the room from all the people, who were there.

"Hi," said Mrs. Lockwood behind Elena and touched her shoulder.

Elena turned around. "Hi," Elena said with a big smile. "It looks great." She gestured her hand around the room.

"Thank you, Elena," Mrs. Lockwood smiled at her. "Even though no one lives here. I feel that the town should still have their annual Christmas party here. You know, back in the 1864, when the first Christmas party took place, it was only the founding families, who were invited."

"Interesting," Elena said because she didn't know what to say.

"Elena!" Someone shrieked behind her.

"Well, enjoy the party, Elena," Mrs. Lockwood said and walked away.

When Elena turned around, a blonde hugged her tightly. "Caroline!" Elena said shocked.

"I'm so glad you came!" Caroline said eagerly and pulled away from the hug.

"I said I would," said Elena and laughed at her friend. "Did you doubt I would?"

"Well," Caroline said shy. "You've been in a kind of bad mood." She eyed Elena carefully.

"Yeah," Elena said quietly. "But I'm here and you're here and you look _amazing_!" Elena said enthusiastically as she gave her friend the elevator look. Caroline wore a long white and silver strapless dress with glitter all over it. She had her hair down over her shoulders with curls. She also had glitter in her hair only it was gold with a headband to keep her hair out of her face.

"Thanks!" Caroline said humbly. "You look gorgeous too!" Caroline beamed and eyed her friend. Elena was wearing the red dress, she had borrowed from Caroline. It had a darkred band over the waist. The dress was body tight and it ended right above her knees. She was wearing her high black boots with high heels. She had her hair flat with a dark green headband in her hair and subtle make-up with a red lipstick.

"Thanks to you!" Elena said.

"You look all Christmassy," Caroline said and took Elena's hand. "Come! Let's get a drink." They walked over to the bar where they found Stefan.

"Hi, ladies," he said as they approached.

"Hi," Caroline said and leaned in for a kiss.

"Here," Stefan said and handed each of them a glass of champagne. "Merry Christmas and congratulations on the amazing party." He raised his glass and they all clinked their glasses and drank.

"Yeah, you did a great job, Caroline!" Elena said as she admired the Lockwood mansion.

"Caroline!" Someone called at the other end of the room.

"Excuse me," Caroline said and disappeared.

Elena and Stefan stood in silence for a moment. "How are you?" Stefan asked. Elena didn't answer, not because she ignored him, she just didn't know what to answer. "Maybe you should talk to Damon," he suggested.

"I have," Elena snapped. "Nothing useful came from that."

"You know how he can be, Elena," Stefan tried. "He's an idiot." They both laughed.

"I think it would be better if we just kept our distance for now," Elena said plainly. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure," Stefan said and smiled. "Did you get Caroline a Christmas gift?"

Elena smiled at the subject change. "No, not yet. I'm not sure what to get her. What about you?"

He fumbled in his pocket and found his phone. "I bought this." He showed her picture of her gold necklace with a small gold tree and on the branches, there were 5 small diamonds.

"Wow," Elena explained. "That's gorgeous."

"Thanks," Stefan said and put his phone back in his inner pocket. "Your glass is empty," Stefan stated. He waved the waiter behind the bar over. "Can we get two more?"

"Absolutely, sir," the waiter replied. He took their empty glasses and put them behind the bar and gave them two new glasses and filled them with ice cold champagne.

"Cheers to what will hopefully be an amazing night," he said and clinked her glass.

"You really have high hopes for this evening," Elena stated amused.

"Is that a bad thing?" Stefan asked and gave a half-laugh.

"In my experience, if you have high expectations, you are easily let down," Elena said as a matter of factly.

"I guess, it's a matter of your state of mind," Stefan said and they both laughed. Elena took another drink and she already felt her head buzzing from the champagne. After about a half hours of talking, Caroline called for her husband. He waved at her. "Are you going to be OK?" He asked her.

"Yeah, as long as I have a drink, I'll be just fine," Elena joked, and he left. She sipped her champagne after he had walked over to his wife. She felt a hand on her back. She looked to her side and she saw her boss. "Tyler, hi."

"Hi," he said and sat on a stool beside her. "A scotch, please," Tyler said to the waiter. The waiter poured Tyler a glass and walked away. "You know, I grew up here." Tyler looked around the large living room.

"Yeah, I did," Elena said and smiled politely.

"Me and my mom moved after my father died," Tyler said and took all of his scotch in one sip.

"You OK?" Elena asked shocked at her boss' behaviour.

"Yeah, fine," he said and put down his glass. "Want to get something stronger?" He waved the bartender over again.

"Why not?" Elena said unsure.

"Two tequila shots, please," Tyler said to the waiter and he gave them two shots, some salt in a shots glass and two pieces of lime.

"We're not in high school," Elena said amazed at Tyler's behaviour.

"Exactly," he gave her the glass of salt. "It's legal for us now." He winked. She licked her hand and poured some of the salt on her hand as she laughed at him. Then he did the same. They took the tequila in one hand and the lime in the other. "Cheers," he said and they clinked their glasses. They licked their hands and drank their tequila and then the bit the lime.

"Gross!" Elena coughed.

"Yeah. But refreshing," Tyler said as he laughed. The tequila seemed to take the edge off. She felt a little more comfortable around him. "I always knew Caroline was a control freak when it came to organising parties, but this…" He looked around the room again. "It's kind of amazing."

"Yeah," Elena said and looked around the room. Her eyes stopped at the doorway. She stared into those familiar, blue eyes. Elena felt her body stiffen. She turned around. "How about another shot?" She said enthusiastically.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Damon hated theme parties. No, he just hated these small-town parties. Everyone knows everyone. So much gossip. But somehow, he found himself standing in front of the mirror in his room in a suit. He had decided not to go. But he knew Elena would be there, and he just had to see her again. It was almost like he was drawn to her.

Stefan and Caroline had left for the party hours ago. The Lockwood mansion was down the street from the Salvatore's, so Damon decided to walk there. He could use the fresh air, and it would be easier to turn around if he changed his mind. He could see the lights from the Lockwood's all the way down the road. When he arrived at the driveway, he could hear laughter and chatter from inside the house. He walked up to the house and entered. When he came in he spotted Stefan right away. He had his hands around Caroline's waist. He looked around the room and he caught Elena's eye. They looked into each other's eyes for a few moments.

"Damon!" Someone said and he looked away.

"Mrs. Lockwood, hi!" Damon exclaimed and they hugged each other.

"I didn't know you were in town," she said with a smile. "I wonder why he didn't tell me."

"I'm sure it just slipped his mind," Damon said and returned her smile.

"How long are you in town?" She asked.

"Until January," Damon replied politely. "I'm sorry, I have to go talk to someone." Damon put her hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"Sure," she said. "See you around."

When Damon looked back at were Elena had been, she was gone. He scanned the room. Then he saw her. She was on her way upstairs. He walked across the room and hurried up the stairs. There wasn't any people up here. He looked around, but he couldn't see her. He walked into a bedroom. She wasn't there, but then he noticed the door to the balcony was open. He walked slowly over to the door. He stood in the doorway. He looked at her for a moment. She looked beautiful in that red dress. "Elena?"

She gasped in shock. "Damon!" She yelled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Damon said and walked over to her, but she tooka few steps back.

"Stay away from me," she said in a firm voice. "Why won't you leave me alone?" She asked frustrated. Her mind wasn't clear. When she had walked into the cold, the alcohol had suddenly taken its affect. She tried to walk pass him, but he grabbed her arm.

"I'm sorry!" He said in a loud voice. "I was a jerk yesterday, OK?" She didn't say anything. "And… I should've tried harder." She looked up at his face. "All those years ago… I just assumed you had moved on with all your new friends at school."

"Yeah," Elena finally said. "Or maybe you should've told that slut, Katherine, to fuck off."

"You're drunk," Damon said. She always got like this when she was drunk and mad, which was nothing like her usual personality. "Maybe we should talk some other time."

"You're so good at judging me, aren't you?" Elena bit back. "First, my life choice to move back home and now this! You have no idea what I have been through!" She yelled at him.

"Then why don't you tell me!" Damon yelled back and turned to face her. "You keep telling me I don't understand, but you won't even help me understand!"

"Fine!" She said. "My mom and dad would have lost their house after my dad got sick. I had to move here to help them pay for it, and now…" She paused and took a deep breath. "I wouldn't have mattered because they're going to lose the house anyway," she said in a quiet voice. She ripped her arm to herself and walked away. Damon didn't follow her. He was stunned. Her family had almost lost everything, and he had no idea. After what felt like a really long time, he walked down to the garden. He needed to take a walk and process all this new information, he had just received from his former best friend.

In the meantime, Elena had found her way downstairs where Caroline, Stefan and Tyler had found a couch over in the corner of another room with a bottle of scotch.

"Elena!" Caroline yelled enthusiastically with a slurred voice.

"Hey," Elena said and tried to smile.

"You OK?" Stefan asked concerned.

"I don't want to talk about it," Elena said and looked away to the party in the other room.

"Well," Tyler said almost with an equally drunk voice as Caroline. "If you don't want to talk, then you need to drink." He clapped the seat beside him with his hand and handed the bottle of scotch out towards her. Caroline and Stefan eyed Elena curiously. Elena took the bottle and took a large sip. She sat down next to Tyler.

"Wuuuu!" Caroline yelled. "Go, Elena!"

"OK, what has she had to drink?" Elena said and laughed.

"No idea," Tyler said and put his hand on her leg. She didn't notice. Probably do to her alcohol intake.

"I think I'll take her home soon," Stefan said. "After she gets this drunk. It'll be a short while until she hits the wall." He laughed and took a sip of scotch from his own glass.

They all laughed even Caroline, who didn't know why she was laughing. After 15 minutes, as Stefan had said Caroline went cold.

"Are you going to carry her all the way?" Elena asked.

"Yeah," Stefan said as her picked up Caroline into his arms. "It's just down the street, and she not that heavy."

"OK, goodnight," Elena said and gave Stefan a cheek kiss.

There were very few people left at the party, but Tyler and Elena were the only people in this room. "Want to go upstairs?" Tyler asked and put his hand on her thigh again.

"No," Elena said a little uncomfortable. "I was thinking about going home."

"Already?" Tyler asked as her moved closer to her. "I was hoping we could have some fun." He smelled her hair. She squirmed uncomfortably as she tried to move away from him. He glided his hand on her thigh under her dress and took his other hand and put behind her neck and tried to kiss her.

"Stop," she said suddenly feeling more sober. But he didn't. he just pushed her down on the couch. She couldn't move. She felt week and powerless. She thought she knew what would happen next. Now, he had both hands up under her dress, one was on her ass and the other was on the hem of her pantyhose, ready to pull them down. "No," she whispered, but she knew it wouldn't help. Suddenly, he flew backwards. She gasped in surprise. She sat up straight. She found Tyler lying in the floor and Damon stood over him breathing heavily.

"Are you OK?" Damon asked as he looked at her. She nodded, but Damon wasn't convinced. Her walked over to her and sat down next to her. He put her arms around her. She put her head on his chest. "You want to go home?" He looked down at her and she nodded. He stood up and he took her hand and dragged her to her feet. He put his arm around her. "Come." They walked like this all the way down the driveway, when he stopped. "Here," he said and took off his jacket and put it on her shoulders. He took her hand and they walked hand-in-hand back to the Salvatore house.

When they came to the house Damon unlocked the door and they walked into the hallway which was completely dark and quiet along with the rest of the house. They walked upstairs in silence. Damon led Elena into his room. He turned on the lights, and she sat down on his bed. He walked over to his dresser and found a t-shirt and threw it over on the bed. She didn't move and inch. He bent down in front of her. He took her hand sin his. He looked up at her face and he could see tears on her face. "Elena," he breathed with sorrow in his voice.

"I'm fine," she said as she sobbed. He sat on the bed beside her and put his arms around her and she started sobbing even more. After a few minutes, she stopped and breathed heavily. He leaned back to look her in the eyes.

"You should get some sleep," he said. "Why don't you put this on, and I'll be back in five minutes." She nodded. He left the room. She took off her boots first then her dress and then she put on Damon's t-thirt. It smelled like him. She couldn't help but smile. Damon walked in with two glasses of water. "Here," he said and gave her one of the glasses. She took it and took a big sip. He put the other glass on one side of the bed. She went over to the other side of the bed. She put down her glass of water on the bedside table. She sat down on the bed and crawled down under the covers.

Damon walked into his bathroom as he spoke: "You know, I never liked Tyler. He is a scumbag. Even in high school. He was a total pig. I bet all those girls he bragged about, half of them said no and maybe he just assaulted the other half!" He took a deep breath. "You shouldn't feel embarrassed, because he-," Damon stopped when he saw that Elena was already asleep. He got into bed next to Elena. He kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams," he said and lied down and shut off the lights.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Elena awoke by the sunlight. She had a searing headache. When she stretched, she hit the guy beside her. Damon. Panic started to rise inside of her. He moved beside her. "Hey," he said and turned to look at her. "Are you OK?" He looked concerned.

"Yeah?" She said confused. None of them said anything. They both eyed one another. "Did we sleep together?" Elena finally asked.

"No," Damon said in disbelief. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" Elena asked confused.

"No, we didn't sleep together," Damon said and sat up and leaned back on the headboard.

"Thank God!" Elena said and sat up beside Damon.

"Would it have been a bad thing?" Damon said in a mocking offended voice.

"Sorry," she said and laughed. "That's not what I meant."

"I know," he said pushing her teasingly. He got out of bed and turned to look at her.

"What?" she asked and smiled.

"Nothing," he said and looked away again. "I'm going to take a shower. You can go downstairs and get some breakfast."

"Actually," Elena said and got of bed. "I think I'm going to go home." She started looking after her clothes.

"Oh, OK," Damon said. "Maybe we can see each other later." He turned around to walk into the bathroom.

"Damon?" She asked with a serious look.

"Yeah," he said and turned around.

"What happened last night?" She asked worried.

"I'll tell you later." And before she could reply to what he had said, he had disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door. She heard the water running from the shower and she didn't feel like going in there. She took of the t-shirt she had borrowed. She found her clothes from yesterday and put it on. She got out her phone and dialled a number and put it up to her ear.

"Hello?" A female voice said at the other end.

"Mom?" Elena said. "Can you pick me up at the Salvatore house?"

"Sure, honey," her mother said. "Now?"

"Yeah, that would be great," Elena said in a sweet voice.

"I'll be there in five," her mother said and hung up the phone. Elena got her boots and took a quick look in the mirror before walking out of Damon room. "She looked fine. There was no smeared make-up. She walked down the hall and halfway down the stairs. She stopped to listen for voices. There was completely quiet. She walked silently down the rest of the stairs. She stopped right before she reached the front door and put on her boots. Then she walked outside and down the driveway, and then she saw a familiar car. She hopped in when it parked beside her.

"Thanks," she said when she had gotten in.

"You're welcome," her mother said with her eyes on the road. "You want to come back to the house the me?"

"I just want to go home and shower and get some more sleep," Elena said in an apologetic voice. She hated turning down her other, especially now that she had just asked her a favour.

"You can to that at the house, I mean you do still have your room," Miranda said and took a brief pause. "Your dad and I just love when you're in the house."

"OK," said Elena and smiled at her mother. When they got into the house, Elena gave her dad a brief hug and she went upstairs and took a shower. When she was in the shower she noticed some bruises on her body. She had some dark marks on her hip and on one of her thighs. Was this what had happened last night, that Damon wouldn't tell her? She could tell Damon thought it was serious just by the way he had looked at her before her had went into the bathroom. She would have to call him after, she reminded herself. When she got out of the shower, she was so tired she just wanted to lie down for two minutes. But after one, she had fallen asleep on her bed with her towel wrapped around her.

XXXXX

When Damon stepped out of the bathroom, he saw that Elena was gone along with all of her things. He was a little relieved to see that she had gone because he really didn't want to explain to her what had happened last night. He knew it would upset her a lot. He got dressed and went down to the kitchen. Caroline and Stefan where sitting at the dining table in the kitchen and finishing their breakfast.

"Hi, Damon," Caroline said when she saw him.

"Did you have a good night?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, I think it went great!" Stefan said enthusiastically. "What do you think, honey?" He gave Caroline a mocking look.

"Very funny, Stefan!" She spat at him.

"What?" Damon asked confused.

"I don't think Caroline remember the last part of the evening," he said and laughed at her and Damon joined in.

"Screw you, Stefan," she said and threw a washcloth at him and left the kitchen. Stefan laughed a bit at his wife, and got up to do Caroline and his own dishes. He looked over at his brother, who was looking down at the floor, which he only did when something was troubling him.

"What's wrong?" Stefan asked worried.

"I shouldn't tell you," Damon said and look up. He shook his head. "But I need your advice."

"What's going on?" Stefan asked even more worried.

"Something happened last night… at the party," Damon said and looked up at his brother.

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked confused this time. "You weren't at the party."

"Yeah, I was," Damon said. "I wanted to talk to Elena, so I decided to come later." Stefan didn't say anything, he just looked at his brother and waited for him to continue. "We had an argument right after I got there. Later, I went inside to find you and Caroline to say goodbye, but I guess, you guys had already left. Instead, I saw something else…" Damon stopped and starred down to the floor again.

"What?" Stefan pressed his brother.

"I saw Tyler forcing his way onto Elena," Damon said in a calm voice, trying to handle his anger as he said the words out loud.

"Well, he has always had a thing for her," Stefan said. "I get that you don't like him, but I don't think we should be judging other grownups for hooking up-."

"No!" Damon shouted. "He had her pinned down on a couch, and she was so drunk and weak that she couldn't get away from him!" He couldn't control his anger anymore.

"OK," said Stefan with his hands up in the air. He walked over to his brother and touched him on the shoulder. "Why don't you sit down." He pushed Damon towards a chair at the dining table. Damon sat down and took a few deep breaths. Stefan sat down next to his brother and still had his arm on his shoulder. "Then what happened?"

"I knocked him to the floor," Damon said in a calm voice. "And I took her back here."

"OK, so you did the right thing," Stefan said relieved. He had been afraid that his brother would have let his anger get the best of him as I did sometimes. "I don't know what to say to you."

"I need advice because I haven't told Elena yet," Damon said and looked over at his brother. "She doesn't remember what happened."

"What?" Stefan said in a loud voice and got to his feet. "You have to tell her! It's her boss. She needs to know!"

"I know…" Damon said in a said voice. "I just don't want to hurt her."

"You didn't, _he did_!" Stefan said still with a loud voice.

"I know, I have to tell her," Damon said quietly. "I just needed to talk myself into doing it."

"I know," Stefan said in a low voice.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Elena woke up late in the afternoon. She was still wrapped in her towel, and she had a blanket over her as well. She expected her mother had done that. She got out of bed and she put on some underwear that she had lying in her old dresser. She walked over to the mirror and saw her bruises. She starred at them for a long time. She looked away when she started to feel sick. She put on an oversize t-shirt, a pair of sweatpants and some cosy socks. She went downstairs, but the house was empty. She made herself a sandwich and a cup of tea. She went into the living room and sat there and ate. It was starting to get dark out, but she decided to go have a look in the garden. She might not get a chance later, when her parents had sold the house. She put on her mother's winter jacket and some boots that stood I the closet. She suspected them to be Jeremy's old ones. She walked into the garden. No one had stepped in the snow yet. She walked over to the old swing set. It had been there for as long as she could remember. She sat down on one of the swings.

Even though it had gotten even darker, the lights from the house lit up the snow. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, kiddo," her father said and sat on the swing beside her.

"Hey," Elena sad and looked at her father.

"Was it a good party?" he asked her with a smile.

Elena wasn't sure what to say. She had an odd feeling about what had happened last night. "Yeah, it was great. Caroline and Carol really outdid themselves this year," Elena said trying to get the attention over to Caroline.

Her father laughed a little. "Yeah, I'm sure." They sat in silence for a minute or two. "I'm sorry, I let you down, honey," he said quietly.

She looked over at him. "You haven't."

"Yeah, I have," he said and got up from the swing and walked over to stand in front of her. "With my illness and everything."

Elena stood up. "That's not your fault." He hugged him. "I love being here in Mystic Falls with you guys."

"I love you," he said and kissed her on top of the head.

She leaned back a little to look him in the eyes. "I just want you around for as long as possible, then I don't care where you live." She smiled at him. She meant it. She just wanted her family happy and healthy, then it didn't matter where they lived.

He smiled at his daughter and put his arm around her shoulder. "Let's go back in. It's getting a bit cold."

XXXXX

The next morning, Stefan and Caroline sat at the dining table having breakfast. Caroline sat with a catalogue and flipped through it. "We could get this for your mother" she said enthusiastically and pointed at a duvet.

"Mmh," Stefan said as I stared into the table. He was still thinking hard about what his older brother had told him yesterday. He had heard that Tyler had been inappropriate with other women, but he had never crossed the line with assault.

"Stefan!" Stefan looked up in shock. "Are you even listening to me?" She waited for him to answer, but he didn't answer. "This is _your_ mother's Christmas present."

"Sorry," he said and took her hand. "That's looks great."

"You've been weird since yesterday, what's wrong?" She asked concerned.

Stefan wasn't sure if he was allowed to tell Caroline. Damon hadn't actually said he didn't want Caroline to know, and Caroline was his wife and he told her everything. "Damon told me something yesterday." He paused to wait for her reaction. She looked up at him, and he knew that he had her full attention. "Apparently, Damon brought Elena back here after the party-." Before Stefan could continue, he was interrupted.

"Oh, my God! That's great!" Caroline exclaimed. "About time they hooked up!"

"Easy," Stefan said with an amused expression. "It's not what you think." Stefan gave Caroline a serious look, and she sat down. "He brought her back here because…" He paused and took a breath. "Tyler assaulted her." He eyed Caroline carefully. She sat completely still for what felt like hours, then suddenly, she sprang up from her chair.

"What!?" She screamed. She paced back and forth in the kitchen. "I have to call her," she said and started looking after her phone.

Stefan stood up. "You can't," he said. Caroline gave him an odd look. "She doesn't remember and he hasn't told her yet," he said carefully.

"What?!" She said outraged. "How could he not tell her?"

"He will," he said and pulled Caroline into a hug.

"I can't believe him," she said into Stefan shirt. "He was always such a creep in high school, but I really thought that he had changed."

"It's not your fault," Stefan said and caressed her back. "It was your dad that hired him."

"My dad," Caroline said and pulled away. "I have to call him. Tyler can't work for him now that he has assaulted one of the employees. He has actually been looking for an excuse to fire him because he's been inappropriate with others at the office, but no one wants to step forward."

"So, I guess," Stefan said slowly. "You can call it a blessing in disguise?"

"I hate that it happened to Elena, but yes," Caroline said with a guilty voice.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Damon had been up late last night trying to figure out how he was going to tell Elena, and trying to anticipate how she would react in each scenario. So, when he woke the next day he didn't wake until noon. When he walked downstairs, Stefan and Caroline was sitting and talking on the sofa. Caroline got up as soon as she saw him pass them. She ran after him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Caroline said. Damon had poured coffee into a cup and was not standing in front of the fridge with a carton of milk.

"What?" He said and turned around and looked at her. She didn't say anything, she gave him a stare. He sighed and walked over to his cup and poured some milk into his coffee. "So, Stefan blabbed, huh?" He put the milk back in the fridge.

"You think you can just ignore this problem!" She said accusingly. "You might not want to talk about what you saw that night, but she deserves to know."

"Stop!" Damon said in a loud voice. "I know! I am going over there now." He paused. "For the record, this is none of your business."

"I just care about Elena," Caroline said defensively.

"Yeah, me too," said Damon loudly and stormed out of the kitchen. He walked into the hallway and got his shoes and jacket. He gulped half his coffee and put it down on the table before he walked out the door and into his car. He took a deep breath before stating the engine. He drove down the road and when he had been driving for about ten minutes he saw two familiar shapes walking be the side of the road. He honked at them and they both jump into the air. Elena and Miranda looked annoyed at the car until they saw who it was. Damon pulled up at the side of the road and parked his car.

"Hey," Damon said as he walked from his car and towards them.

"Damon?" Miranda said and smiled. "I didn't know you were in town," she said and gave her daughter a look.

"I guess, I forgot," Elena said to her mother.

"Sure," her mother said and pulled Damon into a hug.

"It's good to dee you, Mrs Gilbert," Damon said and pulled back.

"You, too," she said and smiled at him.

"I was actually hoping to talk to Elena. Is that OK?" He asked them both.

"Sure," Miranda said and smiled. "I'll see you later." They both smiled at her.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Elena said carefully not sure if she wanted to know.

"Should we walk?" Damon asked and pointed in the opposite direction of which Miranda had walked. They in silence for a few minutes. Damon's had was twisting and turning. He didn't know where to start or what do say.

Suddenly, Elena stopped. "I need you to tell me. I know it's about what happened." She looked at him but he wouldn't look her in the eye. She touched his arm. "Please." He looked up at her.

"After our argument, I went out to get some fresh air. It seemed that the time had ran away from me because suddenly it was late and I decided to go home, but I wanted to check if Caroline and Stefan where still there, and in that case if they wanted to go home together." He paused. "I went into that room because I was told they were there. Instead, I found you… and Tyler." Elena waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

"Then what?" Elena pushed, but he just looked at her.

"Elena…" He shook his head.

"Damon, tell me. I can take it," she said a brave voice.

He looked her in the eye. "I saw you pinned beneath him on the couch." She was shocked. She had kind of expected it to be something like that, but she just hadn't been prepared for that. "If I hadn't come in, he probably would have-"

OK," Elena interrupted. "I don't think I want to hear it." They stood in silence. Elena looked down to the ground, while Damon looked intensely at her.

"I shouldn't have told you," Damon simply said.

She looked up. She had a few tears in her eyes. "No, I wanted to know." He took her hand and pulled her into his embrace. He had one arm around her and one on her head. She had her arms on his waist.

"I promised myself a long time ago that I would never let a guy like Tyler Lockwood," she said into his chest. "Get his way with me. Voluntarily or involuntarily. And to think that it _was_ him." She paused. "I don't even know how to deal with that."

He pulled a little away from her, so that he could look into her eyes. "I will never let anything happen to you," he said with sincerity in his voice. "Even if it means I have to kill him," he said joking. She laughed. "There it is. That beautiful smile of yours." He leaned down, watching her intensely for a reaction, but she did nothing. He reached her lips and touched them with his own. He had been wanting to do this for a long time, even longer than he had realised. This somehow felt right. He kissed her softly and for a few moments she did nothing, probably surprised by his move. Then, after a few seconds she kissed him back. With the kiss, she felt her worries go away. She felt safe here with Damon. He moved his hands down her back and pulled her even closer into the kiss. In the same motion, she put her hands on his neck. After a few minutes they both pulled away, but only a few inches. They were both gasping for their breathes.

"Wow," Elena said as she laughed.

"Yeah," Damon said laughing as well. "I don't know why I did that."

"That's OK," Elena said. "I liked it." She kissed him again.


	13. Chapter 12

So sorry for the late update, but I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

When Elena walked into the office the next day, she had a huge smile on her face, not because she was looking forward to work, but because of what had happened the day before. She actually dreaded this day. How was she going to face Tyler after what had happened? The smile faded a bit. She sat down at her usual desk opposite Carline's, who had come in yet, right outside of Tyler's office. She took a nervous breath. She looked at the clock – it would still be about ten minutes until Caroline and Tyler would be here. She decided to take the time and think about yesterday:

 _She had her arms wrapped around his neck. Their lips separated. He took one of her hands, while he still had one hand on the lower of her back. "Want to come with me home?" he asked her. "We could get a cup of coffee?" He tempted._

 _Elena hesitated. "I would love to, but I should get back to my parents," she said and pointed down the road towards their house. "I'm just trying to enjoy whatever little time I have left in that house."_

 _Damon nodded understanding. "Off course, we'll do it another day," he said and smiled. "I'll walk you home." They walked in silence down the street hand-in-hand. It was only a couple of hundred yards, but it felt nice. They stopped when they reached the front door. Elena turned to face him._

" _I'm sorry I stopped calling you, and for ignoring your calls," Elena said a little guilty._

" _That's OK," Damon said and caressed her chin._

 _She took his hand. "I was jealous." She avoided his eye._

" _Why?" He said and caught her eye._

" _Because of Katherine…" she said quietly._

" _Mmh… yeah I get that," Damon said and Elena looked up at him in surprise. "I don't know what I would have done if you had ever gotten a boyfriend." Elena gave him a big smile and he laughed. None of them said anything for what felt a long time. Then Damon leaned in to kiss her, but suddenly, the front door opened and they both jumped backwards._

" _I thought I heard familiar voices," Grayson said as he had opened the door._

" _Dad!" Elena said in a fake enthusiastic voice._

" _Mr. Gilbert," Damon said a bit intimidated._

" _Damon!" Grayson said and reached out his hand. Damon took it and they shook hands._

Elena jumped in her chair when reality woke her up from her little daydream. Caroline had dumped a huge stack of papers on her desk across from Elena. "Are you OK?" Caroline said as she sat down.

Elena knew exactly what she was talking about. The thing with Tyler. She had hoped Damon would have kept his mouth shut. "So, I'm guessing you talked to Damon," Elena snapped.

Caroline looked guilty away. "Stefan, actually, but," she said and caught Elena's eye. "We're the only ones, who know." There was a brief pause. "And my dad."

"What!?" Elena exclaimed and got up from her chair. "Why would you tell your dad?" She gave Caroline an angry stare.

"So, that he could fire Tyler," Caroline said in a small voice.

Elena sat down again. "He fired him?" Elena could suddenly feel a lot of weight lift from her shoulders.

"Yeah," Caroline said slowly as she stared at something behind Elena.

"Has he found someone new to takeover already?" Elena asked, and Caroline just nodded. "What are you looking at?" Elena said and turned her head. She saw just what she was looking at. A handsome stranger. He was introducing himself to everyone at the office. He had a charming smile and the eyes to match, which made it difficult to look away. He finally came into the room where Caroline and Elena's desk were. They both got up from their desk.

"Hello, ladies," he said with the most gorgeous English accent. "You must be Caroline," he said and walked over to Caroline. She extended her hand and he took it in both hands, almost like he was caressing it. "Your dad has told me a lot about you." He then looked over at Elena, who had been starting to feel a little uncomfortable. "And you must be the very ambitious Elena Gilbert." Elena extended her hand as well, and to her relief he just took it in one hand and shook it. "I am Niklaus Mikaelson. The new editor, but please call me Klaus." He smiled at both of them. "Now I hear that we have a lot of work ahead of us before the new year starts, so shouldn't we just dive in, I expect you're both doing something right now?" He looked from one to the other. Caroline nooded and she hadn't taken her eyes off of him for one second since he had walked in to the office.

"Yes," Elena said and sat down and found a manuscript from her drawer. Klaus walked into his office.

"Wow," Caroline said when Klaus had closed the door. "Good thing I'm married, huh?" Elena gave her a look. "What?"

"He's not that good looking," Elena said trying to sound convincing.

"Are you kidding?" Caroline asked her best friend as if she had gone mental. "He looks amazing and if you add that accent." Caroline gave an approving smile. "You should totally go for it."

"Why?" Elena said not convinced. "So, you won't?" She joked. Caroline didn't answer. "You know, I just got the former editor fired, are you saying that should just keep doing that with this one as well?" Elena smirked.

"It's just good fun," Caroline said with a nasty smile on her face.

"Even if I wanted to, I can't," Elena simply said and looked down to her papers and pretended to be working.

"Why?" Caroline asked suspiciously. Elena didn't answer. She didn't even look up. "Elena!" Caroline demanded.

"I kissed Damon," she said quietly still looking down.

"Oh, my God!" Caroline exclaimed so loudly that it gave Elena a shock and she looked up. "Why didn't you tell me?" She took a brief pause, but she didn't give Elena a chance to answer before she continued. "How was it? How did it happen? Oh, my God. This is so great, if you get married we are going to be sister!" Caroline beamed.

Elena held up a hand. "OK, calm down. It was just a kiss," Elena said nervously.

"Sorry," Caroline said a little embarrassed. "I got just a little excited. How was it?"

Elena looked away. "It was kind of amazing," she said honestly with a huge smile on her face.

"Aw," Caroline said with a smile. "So, when are you seeing him again?"

Elena thought for a minute. "I don't know."

When the day had nearly come to an end, Elena and Caroline had worked harder than they ever had while Tyler was there. Klaus came out from his office late in the afternoon and said goodbye to the ladies and they left shortly after him.


	14. Chapter 13

I'm sorry for the late update, again. I've been a little busy with starting school again, but I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

Elena and Caroline stood on the street by Caroline's car. "You want a ride back to the house?" Caroline asked.

"Nah," Elena said. It wasn't that she didn't want to. She lifted up the stack of papers. "I want to read these for tomorrow."

"Why?" Caroline asked with a non-understanding expression on her face.

"Because I want to make a good expression," Elena explained. "He doesn't know us or what or abilities are." She gave Caroline a convincing look.

"Fine, but not for me," Caroline said smiling. "At least not tonight." They both laughed. Caroline wasn't really into her job, she was only there because of her father, and they both knew it. "Are you going to call Damon?"

"Yeah," Elena said and thought for a minute. "If it isn't too late when I'm done with all of this." They both smiled and parted ways. Elena walked down the street towards her apartment, and Caroline got into her car and drove off.

The next few days flew by, Elena was so busy with impressing her new boss. She wanted to call Damon so much, but every time she actually had time, it was too late to call. She was sitting on her bed and she had just finished some other work, and once again it was really late in the evening. She looked down at her phone and saw that she had a text message from her mother.

 _Hi sweetie, something has happened. Need to talk to you. Can you call me?_

Oh no, Elena thought. What now? Maybe it was her dad. She wanted to call her mother right away, but it was too late, and her parents would already be sleeping by now. She took off her clothes and got into bed. She tried to get some sleep, but she kept tossing and turning and it was a long time before she actually fell asleep. When she woke up the next morning, it felt as if she had only gotten a few hours of sleep. She got slowly out of bed and started to make some coffee. She got out her phone and looked at the clock. It said 7, and Elena decided it was find to call her mother. She dialled the number and put the phone up to her ear, and she went to sit down on the couch and put a blanket on.

"Hello?" Miranda said at the other end

"Hi, mom," Elena said.

"Elena, hi!" Miranda said in a happy voice. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah," Elena said a bit confused. "You said to call you." There was a brief pause.

"Right," her mother said and laughed a bit. "I would rather tell you in person. Can you meet for lunch today?"

"What's going on, mom?" Elena asked worried. "Is it dad?"

"It's nothing bad," her mother said. "I just want to talk in person, you know?"

"Mmh, okay," Elena said quietly. "I'll see you at lunch." They hung up. Elena went into her bedroom and put in some clothes. She ate some breakfast and then it was time for her to leave. She got all of her papers and she left her apartment. When she got down to the street, she saw a familiar, handsome face, and she couldn't help but smile. "Hi," she said when he approached.

"Hi," Damon replied. He smiled at her. He handed her a to-go cup. "Here."

"You got me coffee?" She asked surprised, and took the cup from him.

"Yeah," he smiled at her. "And I wanted to make sure, that you're not avoiding me."

Elena gave him a guilty look. "I wanted to call," she admitted. "I've just been really busy. We got this new editor, and he's just working us really hard." He breathed heavily.

"Good," he simply said and kissed her on the cheek.

"Why is that good?" She asked both amused and confused.

"I was just a bit paranoid and thought that maybe you were avoiding me because we kissed," he explained and gave her a smirk.

Elena flushed. "No," she said honestly. "Of course not," she said after a while and looked him deeply in the eyes.

He gave her a boyish smile. Then he pushed her slowly against the wall and she took a few steps backwards until she hit the wall. He stopped an inch from her face. He examined her face to see her reaction, but she did nothing, except she moved her face a bit towards him, and he moved his lips to hers. He had his hands on her waist and she moved her on had on his neck and pulled him even tighter into the kiss, and she put her other arm on his shoulder, still with the coffee in her hand. After a few minutes they both pulled back, breathless.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" Damon asked still holding her close in his arms.

"No," she breathed barely audible. He smiled.

"Want to have dinner?" He asked still smiling because he was almost sure what she would say. She nodded and smiled back at him, and he gave her a soft kiss. "Come." He took her hand. "We wouldn't want you to be late for your new, harsh boss." He winked at her. She smiled and the walked hand in hand down the street.

When they reached the door that led up to the office, it was already a little past nine. "Well, thank you for the coffee," she said and walked in front of him still holding his hand. She threw the empty coffee cup into a trash can that stood next to the door. "And for the walk." She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. As she leaned away, he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her into a soft, deep kiss.

"I'll pick you up at 8," he said and they both smiled as they parted.

She hurried up the stairs and opened the door to the office. She expected everyone to be busy, already working, but they weren't. They were still talking about everything but work. She wondered if Klaus was late, that was really the only explanation, she could think of because in the week that he had worked there, he hadn't let them socialize in the office hours. She walked past the desks and walked over to her own at the end of the room. She saw that Caroline wasn't there either. She sat down at her desk and put the papers on the table. 10 more minutes went by and Caroline and Klaus had still not come, and Elena started to wonder, what was going on. Until, she heard Caroline's laugh. Elena looked around all the desks, but she couldn't see the blonde. Then she heard Klaus' voice and she looked into his office. The door stood ajar and she could see both Klaus and Caroline. They were talking and laughing together. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but Elena found it a bit odd. After a few more minutes of trying to hear, Caroline came out looking pretty happy. "Hi," she said.

"Hi," Elena said a little befuddled. "What were you guys talking about?"

Caroline laughed. "Nothing," she said dismissive.

"Right," Elena said quietly and suspiciously.

"Just family and stuff," Caroline explained. "He knows my dad, you know."

Klaus came out from his office. "Back to work," he said loudly and the buzzing at the desks disappeared and everyone started working.


	15. Chapter 14

I know it's a bit short, but I hope you'll like it anyway, and I will update again within a few days :)

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

When lunchbreak started, Elena walked down to the street to find her mother waiting for her parked in her car. Elena got in, and Miranda drove down the street. Elena watched her mother carefully for the whole ride. Her mother got out after they had stopped and Elena followed.

"Mom," Elena said and her mother stopped on the sidewalk. They looked at each other. "What's going on?"

Miranda put her hand on Elena's arm and gave her a warm smile. "Let's get some food, and I'll tell you." Elena didn't say anything, she just followed her mother into the restaurant. After they had sat down and ordered, Elena starred at her mother almost zombie-like. "OK," Miranda said and reached over to hold Elena's hand. "I know, I've probably scared you a little, and I'm sorry for that, but I wanted to tell you in person."

Elena didn't say anything for about a minute. "What is it?" Elena asked even more scared. The waiter came over with their food.

"We're not losing the house!" Her mother said ecstatic.

"What?" Elena said confused. "How? I don't understand…"

"I don't know," Miranda said still with a huge smile. "The bank called and said that someone paid off our house. We're debt-free. Someone anonymous paid for it."

"Wow," Elena said still in shock. "That's amazing."

"Yeah," Miranda said with a huge smile. "The bank either won't tell us or don't know, who it is, so we can't even pay this person back or at least say thank you. I mean, it's not like we've been broadcasting it. No one knows."

"Yeah," Elena said slowly and the only person that she had told popped up in her head. Damon. "This is great." Elena looked at her watch. "My break is almost over, and I have to get back." She got ready to get up.

"Just a minute," Miranda said and stopped Elena. "your dad and I know, what you've sacrificed, Elena, and we just wanted to thank you."

"Mom," Elena started. "I was happy to help, and come back home."

"I'm just saying, if you want to go back to college, we'll pay for it," Miranda said, but Elena didn't say anything.

"Thanks," Elena said after several minutes. "I should go." Elena got up and walked out. She walked all the way back to the office alone. She walked in and saw that everyone around her was still on their break. She walked over to her desk and got out a manuscript and continued her work. Then she heard it again, the laugh that she also heard this morning from Klaus' office. The door was ajar and she could see Caroline standing in front of Klaus and he was sitting on his desk. They stood close, maybe a little too close, Elena thought. Then, Klaus leaned towards Caroline and whispered something and she laughed again. Elena went back to her manuscript and tried not the be distracted by everything she had found out in this lunchbreak.

A few minutes later, Caroline came back out and sat across from Elena. They shared a brief look. "What?" Caroline asked.

"Nothing," Elena said, and tried to think of something to say that wouldn't judge her best friend. "I have a date with Damon tonight."

"Really?!" Caroline said in an ecstatic voice, and Elena knew that Caroline had forgotten the look, Elena had just given her. "That's great!"

"Yeah," Elena replied quietly.

"Are you nervous?" Caroline asked excited.

Elena thought for a minute. "Yeah," she said honestly. "A little. It's just… We were friends for like ever, and now we're taking that next step. It's just a little weird."

Just as Caroline was about to answer, Klaus couched behind her. "As fascinating as your love life is, Ms Gilbert, we have work to do." He walked passed them and further into the office, and the buzzing stopped and everyone got back to work.

"Ass," Elena said under her breath and got back to work, and Caroline smiled at it, agreeing. The rest of the day went by rather quickly. Elena and Caroline sat in silence, until, Klaus came out from his office.

"Well, good work, ladies," he said as he put on his jacket. "See you on Monday."

"Thanks," Caroline said and Elena just smiled at him. They both cleaned their desks.

"Good luck tonight," Caroline said as they parted ways in the street.

"Thank you," Elena said and turned to walk her own way.

"Hey!" Caroline said, and Elena turned around. "I expect to get all the dirty details on Monday." Elena just laughed and walked away.

When Elena got home, she went directly into the shower. She felt all the stress, exit her body immediately. She felt relieved already. She got out from the shower and wrapped herself in a towel and laid down on the bed. She suddenly felt very tired. She felt how hard a week it had been. She had been busting her ass off, and Klaus didn't even notice…


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

She awoke with a jolt. "Shit!" She exclaimed. She had fallen asleep. She hurried out of bed and looked at the clock. It said 6:57. She still had an hour before Damon would come and pick her up. She walked over to her closet and threw a bunch of clothes on the bed. She found a black dress, which would have been more fit for a funeral. She threw it back in the closet. She looked at her skirts. She found some who were red, white and multi-coloured. Then she found, at the bottom of the pile, a black high-waist skirt, which she put on, after she had put on her black underwear, nylon stocking and knee-high black socks. She looked in her closet for a shirt to match. She found a dark purple, loose crop top, a little bit see-through with buttons on the front. She dried her hair and put on some light make-up, then she put on a pair of high, black boots. When she had zipped the second boot, the doorbell rang. She hurried and grabbed her black, wool-jacket over her arm and ran over and opened the door.

"Wow," Damon exclaimed as he looked her up and down. She smiled in response and looked down, a little embarrassed. He walked over to her. He put his one hand on her waist, and he put the other on her chin, and lifted it to look her in the yes. He smiled at her, and she returned it with a sweet smile. He leaned down and kissed her softly. He leaned back an inch. "Ready to go?"

She smiled. "Yeah." He took her hand, and they walked down to his car. Thy drove for about ten minutes. Damon parked and got out and went over to open the door for Elena. "Such a gentleman," Elena said and took his hand and got out of the car. They walked into a little, cosy restaurant. "Are we still in Mystic Falls?" Elena asked as they were seated at a table in the corner.

"Yeah," he smirked. "It's only the locals that know of this place. That's why it's so great."

"I'm a local," Elena said in a stubborn voice. "I've lived here my entire life." Damon smirked at her.

The waiter came over with a bottle of red wine and two glasses. "Are you ready to order?" The waiter asked.

"Yeah, we'll take two steaks with side salads," Damon said and took the menu card from Elena's hand and handed them both to the waiter, and he walked into the kitchen with their order. Elena was stunned, impressed. She didn't know what to say. "What?"

Elena shook her head slowly. "Nothing," she said slowly. "I've just never had anyone order for me. Except from my mom and dad, and I was five," she joked.

Damon starred into her eyes. "Is that not OK?"

She smiled. "No, it is. I like it," she said honestly.

"Good. Wine?" Damon asked as he poured into his own glass.

"Yes, please," Elena said and gestured her glass.

He poured some wine into her glass, and lifted his own. "Cheers."

She lifted her own. "Cheers." They clinked glasses, and they both took a small sip.

"So, how's work?" Damon asked and smiled dreamily at her.

She felt mesmerized by him. He put his arm on the table and she grabbed his hand. "Crappy." She gave him a stern look. He nodded understanding. "Do you know someone called Klaus Mikaelson?"

He thought for a moment. "No, it doesn't ring a bell. Is that your new boss?"

She nodded. "I've worked my ass off this week and all he can do is…" Her voice faded. She thought if she should tell Damon what his brother's wife was doing, when she was at work.

"What?" Damon asked and squeezed her hand.

She decided to wait. "I worked so hard that I almost slept through our date," she said and laughed.

He caressed her hand. "What?" Damon exclaimed in a mock-offended voice.

"I fell asleep when I had showered, and I only woke up an hour before you came," she said and squeezed his hand back.

"OK," the waiter said as he approached their table. "I got some delicious food for the lovely couple." Elena and Damon let go of each other to make place for the plates. The waiter walked away.

"Anyway," Damon said and looked Elena in the eye. "You look amazing."

"Thanks," Elena said and took a bite of her steak. Throughout the rest of dinner, they did regular small talk and Elena didn't mention Caroline and Klaus or the thing with her parents' house. After dinner, Damon drove Elena home. They were parked outside her apartment. She had taken off her seatbelt. She leaned over to kiss him. He grabbed her neck as if he would never let go. Their lips slowly touched, and it started as a soft kiss, which got more and more passionate. He started kissing down her neck. She felt his wet lips on her throat and she started moaning then she felt his tongue between his lips. She pushed back. "Wait a minute," she said panting. "This is great." She kissed him. "Really great, but can we slow down?"

"Good idea," he said still having his hand on her neck. He smiled and let go. She leaned back in her seat and caught her breath.

"You want to come up for some coffee or a drink or something?" She asked with a shaky voice, afraid of getting a no.

"I would love to," he said and got out of the car and Elena followed him over to her apartment stairway door. He opened the door for her, and as she was about to walk up the stairs, he pulled her back by the hand and caught her in a kiss. He kissed her softly again, and he had both of his hands around her body. He pushed her up against the wall. He moved his hands to the hem of her skirt and reached up under her shirt and found the claps of her bra.

"OK, going too fast again," she said and put her hand on his chest. She laughed, and he smiled at her.

"Sorry," he said a little embarrassed. "I've just been waiting for this for so long." He looked down. She put her hand on his chin and made him look her in the eyes. He looked at her.

"Me too," she said and kissed him softly. "Come," she said and took his hand and they walked up the stairs. They stopped in front of her apartment door. "You know, I had the greatest day."

"Yeah?" He asked glad.

"Yeah," she looked at him and returned his smile. "My mother told me that they don't have to sell the house after all." He looked away from her gaze. "She told me that some anonymous person paid everything off in their house." She continued and tried to catch his eye, but he just looked down. "Only no one else knew, except…" She paused. "You." He looked up. "I told _you_!" She said in a stern voice. She took a small step back from him. "You think I can't take care of my own family?" She said in a loud voice. There was a long pause, and none of them said anything. "Was it you?"

Neither of them said anything for several minutes. They starred into each other's eyes. "Yes."

She caught her breath. She was completely taken aback. She looked down to hide the tears in her eyes. She knew it was him, but she didn't expect him to be honest. She had expected to catch him in a lie. Anything but this. She was overwhelmed by this, by him. He bent down a bit to catch her eye. "I'm sorry," he said truthfully.

"I can take care of my family," she whispered still avoiding his gaze.

"I know," he said still bent down. He put his hand on her the side of her neck.

"I have been taking care of them for so long, and I still can," she said still whispering.

"I know." They stood in silence for a minute. Then she looked up. He eyes all glassy. She took a step toward him and pulled him into a searing kiss. She had both hands on his neck.

"Thank you," she said, when she pulled back.

He smiled at her. "Does that mean I am forgiven?" He smirked at her, and she pulled him into another kiss. He put his hand on her back and pushed her up against the door. She dropped her jacket on the floor and put both hands around his neck and pulled him even closer. She started to take his jacket off, and he kissed her down her neck and she moaned quietly. She felt his tongue trail down her collarbone, and she breathed even heavier. He pulled back and grabbed her jacket and got her keys. He opened the door for them, and she walked in with him right behind her. He grabbed both of their jackets and threw them to the side, when they got inside. He shut the door and hurried over to Elena and started were they had just stopped. She kissed him even more passionately. She put her tongue softly into his mouth and he sucked on it a bit. She put her arms around his neck again and pulled him close, then she moved her hands to his neck and then moved them to his chest. She started unbuttoning his shirt and he manoeuvred them to the kitchen counter and grabbed her thighs and put her up on the counter. She had unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off him. He took a step back. He grabbed one of her feet, and unzipped one boot and then the other, and she kicked both of them off. He grabbed her one thigh and pulled off her knee-high socks, then he came to stand between her legs. He put his hands on her face and kissed her softly. And she put her arms and legs around him. He unzipped her skirt and reached up under it and rubbed her clit through her pantyhose and her panties, which seemed hard, but apparently, it was effective. Elena stopped kissing him and breathed heavily against his mouth.

"Damon," she breathed with her eyes closed. He smiled with pride at her. He grabbed her and walked into her bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and lay on top of her. She had her arms around him and kissed him enthusiastically. He moved onto one of his elbows and used the other hand to try and removed her pantyhose, which turned out not to be an easy job. She removed her hands from his neck, but they were still kissing not separating for a second. She helped him taking off her pantyhose. When they were halfway down, she kicked them off with her feet. She moved her hands to his pants and unzipped them and pulled them down along with his boxers. He was completely naked on top of her. She flipped them, so that she was on top. She sat on his thighs and watched his erection right in front of her. She bit her lip. Damon watched her watching him.

"See something you like?" He asked.

She gave him a shy smile. "You're beautiful."

He sat up. "So are you," he said and kissed her again. He pulled off her shirt quickly. She took off her bra just as quickly and threw it on the floor and then he grabbed her and put her down on the bed and laid on top off her again. He started rubbing her clit through her panties again, and she moaned. He kissed her and moved down to her neck, and then he moved further down to her breast. He licked her nipple soft, and she breathed out loud in response. He put it in his mouth and sucked on it and his tongue played with it in his mouth and she moaned loudly. He sat up on his knew between her legs, so that they stayed spread apart.

"Damon?" She said in a heavy breathing voice.

"Mmh?" He replied as he played on with the other nipple now.

"Stop for a second," she said still breathing hard, and he did.

He moved up and leaned over her. "Are you OK?" He asked and brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her briefly on the cheek.

"Yeah," she said with a huge smile. "I need to tell you something." There was a small pause were neither of them said anything. "I'm still a virgin." She looked him in the eye.

"You want me to stop?" He asked concerned.

She shook her head. "No, no." She smiled widely. "I just wanted you to know." She put her hand on his neck and pulled him down into a searing kiss, and he kissed her back. He continued with what he was doing. Only now he moved his hand inside her panties and moved two fingers inside of her while his thumb was still on her clit. He watched her face to see if she felt any kind of discomfort. She closed her eyes in pleasure and let out a loud moan. He kissed her neck, and he used his one hand to slip off her panties. He laid himself on top of her, still one hand between her legs. He moved his fingers in and out of her. "Oh God!" She exclaimed and grabbed the pillow about her head. "Damon," she said heavily and he stopped and pulled his fingers out of her. He looked her in the eyes and she looked back at him. He kissed her roughly on the mouth and then he moved his penis inside of her slowly. He broke away from the kiss and watched her. She closed her eyes and clenched her entire body.

"Baby," he said and caressed her cheek. She opened her eyes. "Relax." And she did. "Does it hurt?"

She smiled at him. "A little. You just need to get in and I'll be fine." He moved his one hand to rub her clit again, and she moaned in pleasure. He pushed all the way inside of her. And she let out a scream of both pleasure, pain and relief. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him even more inside of her. He leaned down and kissed her neck. He started moved up and down and they both started breathing more heavily. With every time, she felt him hit her g-spot the closer she could feel her orgasm coming. It felt like unbearable pleasure that would explode any minute. She breathed harder and harder and he followed her in sync. She moaned loudly as she came under him. "Damon!" She exclaimed and she rode out her orgasm. He was so close. Just a few more thrusts into her and he followed her pleasurable orgasm.

He laid on top of her. They didn't say anything. They just breathed heavily. Damon moved to rest on his elbows. He kissed her forehead. "How was it?" He asked.

She thought for a minute. "Amazing," she said smiling. She pulled him into a kiss. Suddenly, aware that he was still inside of her, which felt oddly nice. He pulled out and laid beside her on the back. She got the covers from the foot of the bed and put over them. She lay her head on his chest and he put his arm around her.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

When Damon woke up it was still dark outside, but the moonlight lit up the room. He looked over at Elena, who was sound asleep. She was laying on her side with her face towards him. She looked so peaceful. He caressed her cheek, and she took a breath, but she didn't wake up. She turned over to lie on her back, face turned the other way. Damon moved over to her and held her close. He inhaled her gorgeous scent. Then he fell asleep again with his arms around her.

The next morning Elena woke up with Damon wrapped around her. It felt nice. Safe. Something she hadn't felt in years. She had always had to take care of her family. She hadn't had anyone taking care of her for many, many years. It felt good to be the one being taken care of. She turned her head. Damon's face was next to hers. She inhaled his scent and she closed her eyes and enjoyed his smell.

"Sleep well?" Damon asked in a groggy voice, and he opened his eyes slowly.

She looked up at him. "Yeah. Sorry if I woke you up," she said with a small smile.

"No," he said quietly and kissed her on the forehead. Elena put her hand on his neck and pulled him into a kiss. He leaned over to lie on top of her. He kissed her softly as he stroked her hair. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes, and she smiled up at him. He smiled back at her and kissed her again. He put one of his hands on her hip. Suddenly, Elena's phone rang, and they both stopped kissing and looked over at it. "Are you kidding me?" Damon said quietly. He reached over and took the phone.

"Give it!" Elena said and tried to reach it, but Damon held it out of her reach. "Give it to me, Damon!" She said and tried to reach for it again.

"Oh, come on! It's only blondie," he said and gave her the phone. "Can't she live without you for one day?" He kissed her nose, and she laughed and put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She said laughing. Her face changed immediately, and Damon rolled over on his back. "Where are you?" There was a pause, and Elena sat up at the edge of the bed with her back to Damon. "OK. I'll be there in 20 minutes." Elena put her phone down. Damon sat up and crawled over to her. He put his hand on her naked back.

"You OK?" He asked and kissed her neck.

"Yeah," she said quietly. She got a t-shirt from the floor. "I have to go pick up Caroline." She put the t-shirt on.

"Why?" Damon asked confused. Elena got up, but didn't answer. "Where?"

"I'm going to take a shower," she said quietly and walked towards the bathroom.

Damon got out of the bed and walked after her, but then Elena's phone rang again. Damon walked over to the bad, where Elena had left it. He grabbed it, and saw that it was Stefan calling. "Hello?"

"Damon?" Stefan said in the other end.

"Yeah?" Damon replied a little annoyed by him calling. Stefan didn't say anything. "What do you want?"

"Sorry," Stefan said after a while. "I wanted to call Elena. I guess, I must have dialled wrong," Stefan said confused.

"No," Damon simply said. "This is her phone."

"Why are you picking up Elena's phone?" Stefan asked still confused.

"Because she's in the shower," Damon said getting a bit more annoyed. Stefan still didn't say anything. "What do you want, brother?"

"Oh," Stefan said breaking out of his trance. "I wanted to hear if Elena knew where Caroline was."

"Did you try calling her?" Damon said.

"Of course, I did!" Stefan said. He was getting tired of his brother's condescending voice. "Can you just ask her?!" There was a pause. "She didn't come home last night."

"Of course," Damon said in a softer voice. "I'll talk to you later."

"Sure," Stefan said and hung up the phone. Damon threw the phone back on the bed and walked into the bathroom and saw that Elena was still in the shower. "Do you want me to join you?" He asked.

Elena put her head out from the shower curtain. "Sorry." She smiled at him. "I need to pick up Caroline." She shut of the water and pulled the curtain to the side. He handed her a towel, and she wrapped it around herself.

"What's going on?" Damon asked curious.

Elena looked him in the eyes. "I don't know," she said honestly. She turned around to walk out, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace. He put his hand on her neck and pulled her into a soft kiss. When they pulled back, they both smiled at each other. "One more thing," Elena said. "Can I borrow your car?"

He gave her an odd look. "Sure." He smiled.

"Thanks," she said and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He watched her walk out, and he stepped into the shower.

Within two minutes, Elena had put on clothes, brushed her hair and put on a little make-up, and was ready to walk out the door. She found the car key in the pocket of his jacket. She hurried down to the car, and she drove towards the other end of town. She put the car in park in front of the Mikaelson House. After five seconds, Caroline came out the front door and ran towards the car. She got in. "Drive," she said without looking at Elena. Elena did as she was told. When they had driven for about ten minutes, and Caroline still hadn't said anything, Elena pulled over.

"What is going on?" Elena asked demanding.

"Nothing," Caroline said in a low voice.

"Nothing?" Elena repeated. "You're asking me to pick you up on a Saturday morning at our boss' house." When Caroline didn't reply, Elena continued: "In the same clothes that you wore yesterday."

Caroline looked into Elena's eyes with what looked like fear in her eyes. "It looks that bad?" Caroline said in a voice that did not sound like her own.

"Did you…?" Was all Elena could get out. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer, but she needed to know in order to help her best friend.

"Cheat?" Caroline got tears in her eyes. There was a silence, where none of them spoke for several minutes. "No," Caroline finally said, and Elena took a deep cleansing breath.

"Thank God!" She exclaimed, and Caroline gave her a look. "Sorry," Elena said guilty.

"I could have." The silence fell again. Elena didn't say anything, she just started driving down the road again.

Elena drove to the Salvatore House. Caroline got out of the car. "I'm sorry, Elena, I want to tell you. I just…" Her words faded. She didn't know what to say.

"It's OK, Caroline," Elena said with a smile. "I'm here when you need me."

"Thanks," Caroline said. "Just do me a favour, and don't tell Damon." Elena looked away with a guilty look in her eyes. "You told him already! Elena!" Caroline exclaimed.

"Whose car do you think this is!?" Elena said in a loud voice. "He was there when you called."

Caroline rolled her eyes frustrated. "Fine," she said and shut the door and walked towards the front door. Elena drove off.

Caroline opened the door and put her bag and coat in the hallway. She walked into the kitchen wo find her husband already up. "Caroline!" He exclaimed and ran towards her and pulled her into his embrace. She hugged him back. He pulled back to look her in the eyes. "Where have you been? I've been so worried!" His face was full of relief.

"I'm so sorry!" Caroline said truthfully. She pulled him close, so that she didn't have to look him in the eyes. "Klaus invited some people over after work, and I guess, I got a little too drunk, and I passed out on his couch." She pulled back. "I should have called. I'm sorry."

"It's OK," Stefan said and smiled at her. "I'm just glad that you're OK. I love you." He pulled her into a soft kiss.


	18. Chapter 17

Hey guys! Sorry for the very late update. I've been super busy with school and work, and I'll try to post a couple more times now that it's summer vacation :) Anyway, hope you'll enjoy this :D

 **Chapter 17**

The weekend went by, and Elena didn't talk any further about what had happened with Damon, mostly because she didn't know herself. She hadn't talked to Caroline either, because the blonde kept avoiding her.

Now it was Monday morning, and Elena and Damon sat across from each other, Damon was reading the news on his tablet and Elena was looking over a script for work. Stefan walked into the kitchen. "Good morning," he said gleefully to the two of them. Damon shot Elena an angry look, which she only returned with a confused one, pretending that she didn't know what the hell his problem where.

"Good morning," Damon said in a strained voice. Stefan poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table with Elena and Stefan.

"Is something wrong?" Stefan asked in a concerned tone.

Just as Damon was about to speak, Elena said: "No, of course not." She took a sip of her coffee. "Just Mondays, you know."

"Yeah," Stefan said and leaned back in the chair. Damon shot Elena another look.

"Where is blondie?" Damon asked in a sharp voice.

Stefan gave a Damon a suspicious look. "She isn't feeling well."

"I bet," Damon said under his breath.

"OK," Stefan said in a demanding voice. "What is going on?"

"You know, how it is, Stefan," Elena said with her eyes on Damon. "Damon has never really liked Caroline." She turned her gaze to Stefan and gave him a sweet smile. "And Damon and I are fighting, so I guess he is a little on edge." She caressed Stefan's arm.

"OK," Stefan said carefully. "Do you guys want to talk about it?" He looked from Elena to Damon.

"No," Elena said curtly. "I have to go to work." She got up from her chair and grabbed the manuscript. "See you." And she walked out.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" Stefan asked his older brother.

"No," Damon simply said, never lifting his eyes from the tablet. Just as Stefan was about to reply to that, Damon spoke: "I think it's better that we just take some space from each other right know, or someone might say something they'll regret." And Stefan accepted that answer and walked out of the kitchen and left Damon alone in the kitchen.

Elena had gathered her things, and just as she was about to walk out the door, she realised that she needed a lift, and she didn't want to asked Damon. She stood for a minute with her hand on the door handle, and stared into the door, thinking hard about what she should do.

"Need a ride?" Stefan asked from behind her.

She sighed with a laugh. "Yeah."

"I'll drive you," Stefan said and smiled at her.

"Are you guys OK?" Stefan asked after they'd driven for a few minutes, and Elena hadn't said a word.

Elena starred out of the window. "Yeah," she said quietly.

Stefan wasn't convinced, but he wasn't sure what to say. "Did he do something to you?"

Elena gave a small laugh because the thought of Damon ever hurting her seemed absurd. "No." She looked over at Stefan and gave him a reassuring smile. "We just have a difference of opinion. I think we just need some time apart to think things over. I'm sure we can talk tomorrow."

"Good," Stefan said in a glad voice, and Elena knew that she had convinced him. Now, she only needed to convince herself. She wasn't even sure that her and Damon would make it through this. They weren't even officially a couple, and now they would already split up. It just seemed ridiculous to Elena.

"Thanks for the ride, Stefan," Elena said in the happiest voice she could muster. She got out of the car and walked up to the office. Klaus was already there, which seemed odd, because he always came in later than everybody else.

"Good morning," he said when he saw her.

"Good morning," she simply replied. She sat down at her desk and pulled out papers from her bag and started working, hoping that Klaus wouldn't talk any further to her. He didn't. at least not until after lunch.

He came out from his office and took a seat across from Elena, where Caroline usually sat. "Have heard from Caroline?"

Elena looked up from her papers. "No," she said and gave him a smile.

"I can't seem to reach her," he said as he fumbled with his phone.

"Well, Stefan said that she wasn't feeling well," Elena said in a strained voice. "She is probably sleeping, whatever it is, off."

"Probably," Klaus muttered and got up and walked back into his office.

For the rest of the day, Elena couldn't concentrate on any work. She kept thinking about her situation with Damon, and how they could possibly fix this, and it all came back to Caroline. The problem was that Elena didn't actually know what had happened that night, and she doesn't even know why she needs to keep it a secret. She decided to text Caroline.

 _We need to talk!_

When she hadn't replied for a half hour, Elena sent another:

 _Either you meet me at my apartment when I get off work, or I'll come to your house…_

After two minutes, she got a reply:

 _I'll see you at your apartment._

When Elena got off work, he walked straight home. She found Caroline standing by her door. Caroline could barely look Elena in the eye. Elena stopped right in front of her. "So?"

"Can we go up to your apartment and talk?" Caroline asked nervously.

"Sure," Elena said curtly. She walked by and friend to unlock the door, and they walked in silence up to her apartment. They both sat down at the dining table. "What's going on?" Elena asked worried.

Caroline starred down at her hands, then looked up at her best friend. "Do you remember when my parents had that summerhouse up in the Hamptons?"

Elena thought for a minute. "Yeah," she answered confused after a few minutes.

"Well, do you remember that guy I told you about back then?" Caroline asked in a small voice.

"Yeah," Elena said again. Eyeing the blonde carefully.

"It's him," Caroline said barely audible. She up at her friends with tears in her eyes. Elena didn't know what to say, she was speechless. "I love my husband."

"I know," Elena answered. There was a pause, and they both just stared at each other. "So…" Elena started as she tried to remember all those years ago. "He is the guy that you fell madly in love with that summer?"

"Yeah," Caroline said in a quiet voice.

"So, when he came back, you just-," Elena said confused. "Continued to love him unconditionally?" Elena felt the anger and frustration rise in her.

"No!" Caroline exclaimed. "I thought,-" she said in a soft voice. "That what I felt was love, but now…" She looked up at Elena. "I think it was just passion. Nothing else."

"Can't you just tell him to back off?" Elena said in a strict voice. "That you're happily married?" Caroline sighed resigned. "Or was the sex just that good?"

"Hey!" Caroline shouted furiously. "That is too far, Elena!"

"Is it?" Elena said in a loud voice. "Tell what the damn problem is then!"

"I love Stefan!" Caroline said half shouting.

"So do I!" Elena said loudly. No one said anything after that. Then Elena heard Caroline sobbing, and the tears started rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," Elena said softly and she walked towards the blonde. She embraced her in a hug, and Caroline started crying for real.

"I don't know why I'm so attracted to him. Why I can't just stay away. I don't know what to do," she whispered into Elena's shoulder.

"It's OK," Elena said soothing. "I'll fix it." She pulled back to look at Caroline. She smiled at her, and Caroline gave a small smile back. "Now we're going to clean you up, and then we're going to go back to your place. OK?" Caroline nodded.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Damon was in the study of the Salvatore house. He wasn't actually doing anything in there, but he knew no one would disturb him. He was lying on the couch with a book trying to read, but he kept thinking about Stefan and Caroline, and what he should do. He didn't want his little brother to be unhappy. But he didn't want anyone to use him, especially not that little blonde wife of his. And then there was Elena. What would he do with her? Was it over? He didn't want it to be.

Suddenly, it knocked on the door. He got up and put the door on the desk, before he could open the door, Elena walked in, and he couldn't help but smile to himself at her sight.

"Hey," she said with a careful smile, and he gave her a small smile back.

"Hey," he simply replied. They stood across each other and no one said anything for a few minutes.

"Can we talk?" She said in a small voice.

"What about?" He asked ignorant.

"You know what," she bit back.

"Fine," he said in a strained voice, he leaned against the desk and crossed his arms.

"I was thinking, we could go for a walk?" She said and shrugged.

"OK," he said and walked right pass her. He walked into the hallway and grabbed a pair of boots and put and a jacket as well.

The walked along the treeline on the property leading away from the house. Neither of them said anything for what felt like forever. Then he stopped and turned to face her, and she stopped as well.

"Elena-" was all he could say because she grabbed his face in her hands and pulled him into a passionate kiss. At first, he wanted to resist, but then he engaged in the kiss. She put her hands through his hair, and he put his hands on her hips and around her back. He pushed her against the nearest tree. He pushed himself up against her and leaving no room between them. After a few minutes, she pulled back, but their foreheads were still touching. Their eyes still closed. They were both breathing heavily.

"Sorry," she whispered breathless.

"What for?" He whispered back. He opened his eyes and stared into hers.

She smiled and gave him a small smile on the lips. "For attacking you." She smiled guilty.

"I don't mind," he said and gave her a kiss back.

She smiled. "I just needed a good kiss to remember." She awaited his reaction.

He leaned back. "What?" He asked confused. "Are you breaking up with me?" He sounded angry.

"No!" She exclaimed and put his face between her hands. "But I don't know where we stand after this conversation."

He nodded. He took a step back and let her go. They weren't touching anymore. "He's my brother."

"I know," she said in a serious tone. "And she's like my sister." She half-expected him to interrupt, but he didn't. "I love Stefan," she continued. "Like a brother. I want the best for them. Both of them."

"How is it best for both of them if she cheats?" He asked a little too sharp in his tone of voice.

"She didn't!" She snapped. A little shocked by her own harshness. "And I know it's neither of our business. That's why I took her to talk to him." Damon thought for a minute. He looked confused. "Why do you think I took you out of the house?" She asked in a sneaky voice.

"She's in there?" He pointed back at the house. Elena nodded. "And they're talking?"

"I hope so," she said quietly. "I don't want to get caught in the middle of this."

"Me neither," Damon said and looked Elena in the eyes.

"I love you." And before she could think of not saying it, the words had already left her mouth. She panicked. But before she could apologize for the words, he was kissing her and pressing her up against the tree again. She pulled her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

"I love you," he said in between kisses. She smiled against his lips. He started to unbutton her coat. Underneath it, he started to unbutton her dress.

"What?" She said breathless. "What are we doing?" Damon gave her a smirk and started kissing her neck, and she put her head back in pleasure. "No." She took his face in her hands.

"Where is you sense of adventure?" He asked mischievously.

"Not out here in the open," she simply said even though her body was screaming for him to keep undressing her.

"Fine," he smirked. He took her hand and they walked a little further into the forest. He pushed her against another tree and kissed her. He pushed himself onto her, and she could feel his erection through his pants. After a few seconds, he leaned back to make sure she was OK with this. She thought for a minute while looking a him. Then she unzipped his jacked, and she smiled at him. He continued to unbutton her dress, and to his pleasure he found that she wasn't wearing a bra. He put one nipple in his mouth and he teased it with his tongue. She started to breath heavily, and rubbed herself against him. He grabbed her ass and lifted her up, and she put her legs around his hips. It wasn't until know he realised that her legs were bare. He hadn't noticed before because of her long coat and boots. He kissed her again, and in the meantime he slid one hand down her panties. Her found her klit and started massaging it. He breathed heavier and small moaning sounds started to escape her mouth. She fumbled with his belt and buttons. Once she had opened his pants she slid them so far down to let his hard cock out. He smirked at her, and kissed her once more. He removed his hand from her klit, and he slid her panties out of the way, so that he could enter her, but he didn't. She closed her eyes. She was ready for him. When he didn't enter her, she opened her eyes, and he was staring at her. "Ready?" He asked, and she nodded. The he penetrated her, and she tried to muffle a moan by covering her mouth in his jacket. He pumped inside of her, and she clenched legs together, to get him even further in. She felt her orgasm building with every pounce her did. His breathing became faster and hers became louder. She leaned back and kissed him. "Oh God!" she exclaimed against his mouth. He started to move faster and then she collapsed around him. She moaned loudly as she rode out her orgasm and a minute later her came inside of her, moaning as well.

Neither of them moved for a minute. They just stood in the same position against the tree. She had her head on his shoulder and breathed loudly into his ear. He leaned back to look her in the eyes and she leaned back to see him as well. "You OK?" He asked. She nodded and smiled. He slid out of her. He put his pants back on and she buttoned her dress and jacket. He kissed her softly, then he took her hand and they walked back to the house.


End file.
